In pouring rain on Monday evening, hundreds of motorists were as usual stuck in a traffic snarl at Porur Junction. Someone suddenly opened the flyover and traffic flow became smoother at the junction of Arcot Road and Mount Poonamallee Road.
“Barricades on the Guindy to Poonamallee direction were first removed and then in 10 minutes the other side too was opened for traffic bringing cheer to motorists used to get stuck in traffic. We are fed up with the traffic jams here, we want the flyover to be opened for traffic,” said Settu, an autorickshaw driver in the area.
However, the happiness lasted only for an hour and half when police moved the barricades back in place and traffic moved at snail’s pace again. On Tuesday morning too, the flyover remained closed leading to vehicles taking over 45 minutes to cross the junction. “We have waited for seven years for the flyover to be finished. Now that it has been completed, residents are asking why the Highways Department is waiting for a formal inauguration,” said G. Kumaran, a resident of Porur.
Work began in 2010
The ₹54-crore flyover is 475-metres long and 17.2 metres wide.
The work began in 2010 but had to be put on hold when huge underground water mains from Chembarambakkam came in the way.
Though construction resumed in 2015, it progressed slowly due to lack of permission to work in the day time.
