After seven long years of construction, the ₹54-crore Porur flyover was thrown open to the public on Sunday morning.
Motorists expect the broad four-lane flyover to reduce traffic congestion at the junction of Mount Poonamallee Road and Arcot Road. A series of flex boards with images of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, AIADMK (Amma) general secretary V.K. Sasikala and deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran greeted road users on Sunday.
Inaugurating the flyover, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami named the facility Bharat Ratna Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Flyover.
Land acquisition
He said the work was started during the DMK government rule in 2010. But, they had begun the work without completing land acquisition.
When Jayalalithaa took over as Chief Minister, she directed the officials to ensure that the work, which had not seen any progress, be completed fast.
“A huge water main underneath the road came in the way of the construction. The structure’s design was changed so that it does not disturb the water main,” he said.
Work on the 475-metre-long and 17.2-metre-wide flyover was put on hold when just 10% of the construction was completed. The junction used to be identified by just the pillars standing as the water main had to be shifted. Though construction resumed in 2015, it progressed slowly owing to the lack of permission for traffic diversion and work had to be carried out during late nights.
Allah Bakkesh, a resident of Pai Kadai in the area, said traffic flow on the Porur flyover on Sunday evening was smooth.
However, the real test would be in the evenings on weekdays when traffic is bad at the junction.
“Even mornings are manageable as school timings are staggered,” he said.
Meanwhile, local residents want a flyover at the Ramapuram junction as traffic snarls have become common. “The work should be carried out before the place bursts with traffic like at Porur and Kathipara. The junction witnesses a lot of traffic coming from three directions. Local traffic is also heavy as both sides of the road are thickly populated,” said V. Nagarajan, a resident of Manapakkam.
