Pedestrians struggling to cross seven busy junctions across the city may soon have a respite as tenders are to be floated in a few days to build foot over bridges with escalators.
The Rs.28 crore project would be implemented by the State Highways Department. While an FOB each would come up on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai at SBIOA School Road junction, near DG Vaishnav College on EVR High Road, Arumbakkam and Velachery Bypass Road near the Chennai Metrowater filling station, two facilities would be built on GST Road and Taramani Link Road.
On GST Road, the FOBs would be constructed near MEPZ and near Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital, Chromepet. The TCS junction and Perungudi Road junction on Taramani Link Road would have such facilities.
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Many pedestrians welcome the project to provide escalators in FOBs. Sumithra Kishore, a resident of Anna Nagar, said “I cross the SBIOA School Road junction daily to reach the Anna Nagar West bus depot. I have to be careful as some motorists do not respect the traffic signal. After the traffic diversion for Chennai Metro Rail project, the congestion has decreased. But, the junction is used by many motorists and pedestrians with two schools in the vicinity.”
Officials of the State Highways Department said the pedestrian flow in these junctions is over 20,000 daily. The decision to construct FOBs was based on the recommendations of the Chennai Comprehensive Transportation Study done by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.
The project would be executed under the World Bank-funded Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project-III. Escalators would be provided on both the sides for the pedestrians to climb the FOB. Ramps would also be constructed.
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“We expect the FOBs with escalators to be used more. Unlike FOBs with lifts where pedestrians have to wait for one or two minutes, there is no need for them to wait in FOBs with escalators,” said an official.
As land acquisition is not required, work would be started by April and completed in six months, the official added.