Flyovers will soon come up at important junctions in Vadapalani and on EVR Periyar Salai, Highways Minister Vellakoil Saminathan said on Monday.
He was speaking at the inauguration of work on a flyover-cum-subway project at the Thirumangalam junction.
The facility in Thirumangalam, estimated to cost Rs.60.23 crore, will be open for traffic in two years. The 805-metre-long flyover will facilitate smooth flow of traffic across two intersections – Anna Nagar 2nd Avenue and Mogappair Road junction on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.
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On either side of the flyover, a 7.5 metre-wide carriageway will be provided. Construction of stormwater drains and a 2.25 metre-wide pedestrian footpath are also proposed.
Mr.Saminathan said that more than Rs.15,000 crore has been spent on the construction and maintenance of roads across the State in the past four years. He added that of the 104 road over bridges (ROB) that were approved in the same period, 24 have been completed and are in use.
Union Minister for Textiles Dayanidhi Maran, who laid the foundation stone for the Thirumangalam facility, said that the needs of the city's populace are changing. “Earlier, basic connecting roads and electricity were the main demands. Now, people are asking for parks. In the current scenario, transport is emerging as a key issue among the city's residents,” he said.
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Mr.Maran said that though a number of flyovers have been built across the city, it is not making much of a difference as the number of vehicles on the road is rapidly increasing. “But growth in the automobile sector is a good thing and the government will continue to build more such facilities,” he said.
Comparing the present quality of roads in the city to that in 2002-03, he opined that it used to be full of potholes. “But this year despite heavy rains, traffic is moving smoothly on most roads,” he said.
Mayor M.Subramanian said that over 10 flyovers and subways are in various stages of construction across the city.
He announced that the vehicular subway and the ROB being constructed at a cost of Rs.9.25 crore in Villivakkam will be inaugurated within a month.