The subway in front of the Reserve Bank of India, which was designed keeping pedestrians and slow-moving traffic in mind, will turn 50 next Friday.
Inaugurated on April 29, 1966, the subway, with railway lines criss-crossing above it, was built at a cost of Rs.60 lakh connecting Rajaji Salai (then Beach Road) and Kamaraj Salai (then Light House Road).
Though the initial proposal was to construct an overbridge at the Madras High Court level crossing to ease traffic congestion as the gates would be closed over 100 times a day, the plan was later changed and a decision was taken to build a subway.
A plaque — whose lettering has almost vanished due to the passage of time — near the subway, reads that it was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister M.Bhakthavatsalam. It was named after K. Kamaraj, who as Chief Minister, laid the foundation stone for the facility in 1963.
A peek into the history reveals that a lot of thought had gone into its design. The 1,345-feet-long subway was designed with two carriageways, a separate cycle track and footpaths provided as tunnels under the railway bridge.
Historian K.R.A. Narasaiah recalls that he had to wait for long to go through the level crossing in 1953 when he travelled from the Harbour. “I travelled in INS Rana and came out of the Harbour and was heading to south Chennai. I remember waiting for long hours at the level crossing where the railway lines connected Madras Beach and Fort stations. After the subway was built, I was glad that it had good lanes for pedestrians and cyclists,” he said. Though it was constructed by the Highways and Rural Works Department, it was handed over to the Chennai Corporation for maintenance.
“For a very brief time, the subway was with the Highways but for over two decades now, it has been with the civic body,” explained sources in the Highways Department.
The subway that is quite deep often gets flooded when it rains.
The subway is close to the sea and located 25 feet beneath the ground. The infiltrating seawater and groundwater are led into a pipeline that is linked to two wells. A former engineer of the Chennai Corporation said that the subway needed proper maintenance so that it would last long.
“The Saidapet and Kodambakkam bridges have been repaired so that they can take more wear and tear. This one too needs similar repair. Leaks have to be plugged and joints strengthened,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Deepa H. Ramakrishnan)
