A four-lane flyover built at Kalavasal on Bypass Road in Madurai was inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami via video-conferencing on Monday.
Collector T.G. Vinay and Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan were present during the inauguration. Kalavasal junction, where the Madurai-Theni highway and the Madurai-Dindigul Bypass Road meet, is one of the busiest junctions in the city. The Collector said the flyover, built on Bypass Road, would help in reducing the congestion at the junction by around 60%.
Built at a cost of ₹54.07 crore, it is 750 metres long with carriageway of 7.5 metres on either side and allows for a two-way traffic.
An official from the Highways Department said that lamp posts will be erected on the flyover in the next two weeks. “Currently there are road studs which will illuminate in the dark to guide the drivers,” he said.
The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the flyover on July 15, 2018. Though it was scheduled for completion within 15 months, it got delayed, causing severe hardship for road users.
A traffic police at the junction said that all heavy vehicles, especially buses, travelling towards southern districts can use the flyover, thus reducing traffic congestion at the signal. “This will help in reducing the waiting time of vehicles plying on Madurai-Theni highway to an extent,” he said.
V. Logeswaran, an autorickshaw driver, said a flyover should be constructed from P.P. Chavadi to Arasaradi on the Madurai-Theni highway also.
