Space under flyover put to good use

With many infrastructure projects under way in the vicinity, concrete slabs have been stacked up beneath the flyover, reports D. Madhavan

May 19, 2014 07:19 pm | Updated 07:47 pm IST - Chennai:

Anyone travelling on the loop road from the flyover in Maduravoyal on Chennai Bypass Road to Poonamallee High Road cannot miss the concrete slabs that are neatly stacked beneath the multi-crore flyover. The slabs are meant for the various infrastructure projects in the region. The space, which is guarded by a couple of security personnel, is fenced. This has helped in preventing unauthorised parking.

“The open space beneath the flyover is ideal to store these slabs as many infrastructure projects are under way in the vicinity,” said a State Highways official.

The clover-shaped flyover at the Chennai Bypass-Poonamallee High Road junction in Maduravoyal was part of the Rs. 405-crore Chennai Bypass toll road project, which was implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for a distance of 32 km from Tambaram to Puzhal via Porur, Koyambedu and Maduravoyal.

Since its opening in June 2010, the flyover provided relief to motorists as the Chennai Bypass-Poonamallee High Road junction, the first major interchange for anyone coming from Poonamallee on National Highway 4 (also known as Bangalore Highway), was heavy with traffic, which included container lorries and trailers.

Motorists felt that the space beneath most of the major flyovers in the city had either been encroached by private vehicles or converted into a park with a walking track for visitors like the one at Perambur flyover.

The twin flyovers on Peter’s Road in Royapettah has become a space for unauthorised parking while the space beneath the newly-built flyover at Koyambedu Junction is being developed as a park by the State Highways at a cost of Rs.1.10 crore. Prior to this, the space beneath the Koyambedu flyover was used by bullock cart owners to park the carts and tie up the bullocks.

At Kathipara, the space beneath the flyover is currently used by the Chennai Metro rail to store various equipment and construction materials in a haphazard manner. As a result, pedestrians and motorists are unable to use the space to reach interior areas in Guindy and St. Thomas Mount.

“The space beneath the Maduravoyal flyover is small so it is better to use it as a storehouse than as a park,” said S. Kala, a resident of Maduravoyal.

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