The long-pending Vadapalani flyover on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai is expected to be completed by September this year. Residents expect this to bring an end to the traffic woes in this area.
The construction of this Rs. 56-crore bi-directional flyover is being carried out by Chennai Metro Rail and Highways Department; and on completion, it is expected to ease traffic flow; the road carries over 1.85 lakh vehicles per day.
Chennai Metro Rail is building the viaduct portion of the flyover and the Highways Department is bearing the cost of its construction.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sources in the Highways Department explained, once traffic is diverted on to the flyover, vehicles on Arcot Road can cross the junction easily. Already the work to construct stormwater drains and lay service lanes on either side has been completed. Currently, the approach ramps are under construction and will be completed by September when Metro Rail will finish its portion of work. Officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said the progress of work has been steady and they will complete it at the earliest. “But the flyover itself will not integrate with the station at any point. The flyover is located below the viaduct of the Chennai Metro Rail where the trains run,” an official said.
The idea to construct this flyover was mooted in 2005-06 and the State gave the clearance only in 2011.
Then the construction of Chennai Metro Rail began the same year and the first service between koymabedu and Alandur was opened in 2015. But this project started only in December 2014 after a long delay and the construction is still on.
ADVERTISEMENT
Commuters said the on-going construction has exacerbated the traffic congestion in the area for years now.
R. Kesavan, who travels from Koyambedu to Arcot Road, said it takes nearly 45 minutes to cover this 4 km stretch primarily because of the congestion in Vadapalani during peak hours.
“The junction is chaotic in the morning as the vehicle movement is not regulated well; also, pedestrians cross the road in a haphazard manner,” he added.
Meanwhile, though most of the 3,000 sq. m. of land required for the project has been acquired, about 2.5-m width of land is still to be taken over.
“The matter is in court. At that portion alone the service lane is narrow. There is a temple there and the outer wall is situated on the land,” said a source in the department.