Foot overbridge at Alandur in 8 months

Contract for the facility near Metro Rail station has been awarded

Commuters struggling to cross the GST road near the Alandur Metro Rail station may have some respite once a foot overbridge is constructed.

According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the contract for the construction of a foot overbridge near the station has just been awarded. “The work is estimated to cost about ₹6 crore and will start soon. But it may be take about six to eight months for the work to get over,” an official said.

The overbridge will have escalators and lifts for the convenience of commuters.

Every day, nearly 2,000 people travel through this station, which was opened as part of the Koyambedu-Alandur stretch nearly three years ago.

Though the Chennai Metro Rail had planned the subway project late in 2016, there were no takers. The tender was first floated in November 2016, but the authorities were not happy with the response and called for bids again in early 2017, officials said.

“We planned to complete the entire project in 2017 but wanted more bidders to participate and hence, decided on floating the tender for the second time,” a source said.

Regular complaints

Commuters have, time and again, complained about how difficult and dangerous it is to cross the GST Road during rush hours.

Though there is a subway, it is not very close to the station. Also, a first-time traveller may not even know of the facility, a commuter pointed out.

At present, only Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar Metro Rail stations have foot overbridges.