The design for a 1.2-km-long flyover at the Thiruvanmiyur junction is ready. The four-lane facility will take off at West Avenue and land on East Coast Road (ECR) just before the RTO signal. On completion, it will help motorists reach ECR without having to wait at the Thiruvanmiyur junction or wade through traffic near the bus terminus.
S. Geetha, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur, who drives to the Madras High Court daily, said the idea seemed a good one, especially since rush hour traffic moved very slowly in the area. “There is a market near the Valmiki temple on ECR and with the road being a one-way on that stretch, motorists face a lot of inconvenience,” she said.
Sources in the Highways Department explained that the government had sanctioned ₹58 crore for land acquisition for the project. The Highways Department has written to the Revenue Department asking it to commence the process of land acquisition for the flyover, which would come up on single pillars along the median. As West Avenue belongs to the Chennai Corporation, the civic body’s concurrence has also been sought for the project. Initially, it was the Corporation that had proposed a flyover at the location, but later gave it up.
“Though the road is six lanes wide, we cannot take it on the same alignment as it takes a sharp curve at the bus terminus. Our curve will be wider. Similarly, care has been taken to ensure that the Marundeeswarar Temple and the Valmiki Temple on ECR are not disturbed. Land will be required at the points where the structure lands and takes off. We are planning a pedestrian facility of some sort at the Thiruvanmiyur junction,” said an official.
