Starting Friday, the Chennai Corporation will permit two wheeler riders and pedestrians to use the Rangarajapuram subway, under construction for a few years. Autorickshaws, three wheelers and four wheelers, however, will not be permitted to use the subway.
The subway will be among the projects to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday. The facility will improve connectivity between neighbourhoods such as T. Nagar and Kodambakkam. It has a three-metre-wide path for motorcycles and one-metre-wide footpaths on either side.
“The subway is 135 metre long with 30 metres of the structure on Railway land. The work has been completed at a cost of Rs. 1.74 crore,” said an official of the Corporation.
Southern Railway and the Corporation constructed the subway to replace a level crossing. A flyover has already been constructed in the area by the Corporation and the Railways.
“The new subway was to be inaugurated last September. Now, motorists from areas such as K.K. Nagar will have an alternative to Duraisamy subway. The traffic police and the Corporation have to plan the traffic flow around Rangarajapuram flyover to ease congestion,” said R. Govindaraj of Exnora International.
Residents stressed the need for easing traffic on roads such as Mambalam High Road and Railway Border Road for optimum use of the subway and flyover.
The new subway will also help prevent accidents on the railway tracks.