The highways department is awaiting permission from the traffic police to paint the second arm of Anna Arch.
The department had sought permission to put up scaffolding at a height of more than 7 metres so that vehicular flow would not be interrupted.
“Traffic flow will not be affected during the work. We need just two days to complete painting,” said an official.
“We have been waiting for permission for more than a week now. If we don’t get it soon, we might have to station a crane near the other arch to get the work done. This would be costly and time consuming,” the official said.
After two-month-long repair works, the Anna Arch has now been uncovered and illuminated. “The restoration work is complete. The site has to be cleaned up and the cement concrete base built to hold the steel cribs has to be removed,” the official said.
The pedestal between the twin arches on which the statue of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai stands has been given a fresh coat of paint.
Close to Rs. 60 lakh was spent on restoring Anna Arch which was on the verge of demolition to make way for a Rs. 117-crore flyover.