Residents of Virugambakkam have welcomed the decision to widen the Kaliamman Koil Street, which connects Koyambedu with Arcot Road near Virugambakkam. This was one such road, which is waiting for widening for more than 15 years.
They have also welcomed the proposal to construct a flyover and two pedestrian subways by the Highways Department, to ease the traffic bottlenecks on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. The Chennai Corporation has plans to widen roads in the newly included areas and a few arterial bus routes along with the road re-laying that is likely to begin. A resolution was passed at the recent council meeting.
It may be recalled that during the Independence Day meeting convened by Virugambakkam Residents Welfare Association, Deputy Mayor P. Benjamin promised to take up the widening issue with the Mayor.
He assured them that work on widening work would commence within six months.
Meeting with officials
They expressed hope that this should not stop midway and the move should go in the right direction to complete the project. Residents Welfare Association activists pointed out that meetings with bureaucrats were held on June 21, 2011 and August 7, 2011, where the decision was taken up to widen this link road to ease congestion near the Koyambedu intersection.
In fact, the residents were informed that tenders have been called for road widening works to the tune of Rs.90 lakhs and the work will be completed before April 2012. But so far, nothing has been done, they said.
While welcoming the decision to construct a flyover near the traffic signal junction, social activist S. Arumainathan of Virugambakkam said that it should be designed in such a way to take up four-lane traffic. “The traffic volume on Kaliamman Koil Street towards Jawaharlal Road accounts for more than 10,000 vehicles per day,” he said.
According to official sources in the Highways Department, the design for a flyover at the junction of Kaliamman Koil Street and Jawaharlal Nehru Salai has been approved.
The flyover will stretch across the traffic signal on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. Two pedestrian subways will also come up as part of the project. The flyover on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai near Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus will decongest two busy junctions at Koyambedu.
Once the flyover is completed, two busy junctions at Koyambedu will become free of traffic snarls.
