Tired of waiting for Metrowater to shift water lines, the Highways Department has opted for ‘Plan B’ at Moolakadai and Porur flyovers.
Work on the two flyovers was stalled in order to facilitate the water supply agency to lay down pipelines before the two structures came up. But now, the department has decided to go ahead with construction after tweaking a few details.
At Moolakadai, the department had to change the flyover design in a small way. Work will progress at Porur, and the water supply agency can lay new lines in future and close down the two existing ones running there.
“At Porur, we completed 90 per cent of land acquisition in January, and the rest by July. But we had to foreclose the contract and are now calling a fresh tender. There is enough space on either side of the flyover and if Metrowater wishes to shift the water lines from Chembarambakkam lake, they can do so without disturbing our work,” said a Highways Department official.
Work on the Rs. 35 crore facility began in March 2010 and only about 10 per cent of civil construction has been completed. The work had to be put on hold as the water lines had to be shifted. The four-lane flyover — 475 metres long and 17.2 metres wide — will help ease traffic at the junction of Mount Poonamallee Road and Arcot Salai. “We can divert traffic to either side of the flyover. We expect work to commence by end of next month,” the official said.
At the Moolakadai junction, the design has been altered slightly so that the water mains do not come in the way. “We will commence work on October 1 after getting permission to enter the premises that have been acquired for the project,” another official said.
Nearly 50 per cent of work on the four-lane flyover has been completed. The Rs. 49.55-crore facility is expected to be ready by September 2013, the official said.
