Construction of a three-lane bridge adjacent to the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge across the Adyar river is expected to be completed in a year. Over 70 per cent of the work on the foundation has been completed in the last five months.
When the Rs.13.06-crore work is completed, the two bridges together would have seven lanes. The new facility is expected to decongest traffic, thereby saving time and fuel for motorists. In the absence of a wider bridge, vehicles from the Adyar side pile up during morning rush hour near the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge. In the evening, such a situation prevails for the vehicles bound for Adyar.
M. Deepakraj, a resident of Mylapore, said: “In the mornings, traffic from the Adyar side is more. During rush hour, traffic is forced to slow down near the bus stop in front of the women's college in the mornings. There is space for only one or two buses at a time. But, the number of services is more during that time and all the buses come one behind another.”
Sources in the Highways Department said that the deck slab for the 16-span new bridge would be laid in four months. The project is expected to be completed within the stipulated time. The new facility would be 0.5 metre higher than the present bridge and the one of the retaining walls of the existing facility would be the median.
About 3.5 metre-wide space would be required near Dr. MGR Janaki College for Women. On the other side, some land is being taken from a fruit and flower complex belonging to the Chennai Corporation. An abandoned bridge, which at present carries pipelines of the Metrowater, would not be demolished as it is a monument.
