The Highways Department has set a new deadline for completion of the two flyovers at Keelkattalai that are coming up at the junction of Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road and Medavakkam Main Road.
The work, which began in 2016, resumed recently after a change of contractors. The department has now given the new contractor time till March 2020 for completing the work.
Contractor terminated
Sources in the department said the previous contractor had completed only 28% of the ₹64-crore project and had to be terminated.
“The two three-lane uni-directional flyovers were slated to be completed by December last year. We sent him notices and imposed fines, but he was not able to complete the work within the stipulated time. Hence we had to go in for fresh tenders,” the officer said.
Each flyover will be 700 m in length with 17 spans.
The new contractor, after mobilising men and machinery in the last three months, commenced work only recently. He will work on the four obligatory spans that will come up over the junction shortly. The Highways Department will be writing to the traffic police seeking permission for changes in traffic movement during the period of construction of the spans.
M. Ramasamy, who runs a plywood store on Medavakkam Main Road, said the junction was known for slowing traffic. “Even before the construction began, vehicle movement was slow. Now it takes motorists some 20-30 minutes to cross the junction. We hope the flyovers are completed on schedule and that they bring relief to motorists,” he said.
S. Suresh, a resident of Kandanchavadi, said he usually avoided taking the Radial road to the GST Road and the airport, since traffic moved slowly during peak hours due to the flyover work.
“I take the southern sector of the Inner Ring Road and go via Alandur. Though it is a longer route, I don’t mind the distance since I make it on time to the airport. Hopefully, the flyover work near the airport too will be completed on time,” he said.
