Like the residents of Kolathur, inhabitants of Manali and Korukkupet have been seeking a flyover between level crossings (LCs) 2A and 2B, where traffic congestion is the order of the day.
The presence of the two level crossings has become a headache for motorists as a number of goods trains and shunting trains are operated through the single track to Tondiarpet railway station and shed for maintenance work. Closure of LC 2A, located on Ennore High Road, and LC 2B, connecting Tondiarpet High Road, cause heavy traffic congestions. The residents of the locality complain that the flyover proposal has remained on paper, with no sign of the project coming up.
T. Sakthivel, a resident of MKB Nagar 4th Avenue, said traffic gets piled up on the Tondiarpet High Road because of the presence of the level crossing, which remains closed for several minutes, and also the presence of heavy vehicles bound for the Kodungaiyur dumpyard.
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Moreover the motorists of Kodungaiyur, MKB Nagar and Vyasarpadi bound for the industrial areas of Thiruvottiyur and beyond get caught in both the level crossings. The Corporation announced construction of a ‘T’ shaped ROB linking both level crossings at a cost of ₹130 crore in the budget presented in 2013. But the project failed to take off.
Long overdue
A senior official of the civic body, confirming the plan to construct an integrated ROB replacing the existing LC 2A at Ennore High Road and LC 2B at Manali Road (Tondiarpet Road) in Tondirpet zone, said that the project has been kept pending, waiting for permission from the traffic police for more than three years.
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The civic official added that the traffic police had asked the civic body to construct an alternative road before blocking portions of the two roads along the bund of Buckingham Canal. He said: “We have paved a new road to divert the traffic and once the police give permission, the ROB work will begin.”