Traffic will be allowed through the Anna Arch from 6 a.m. on January 4. There will be no formal function to mark the resumption of vehicular movement through the structure which was recently restored by the Highways department. Rs. 64 lakh was spent on the work.
Officials said a presentation regarding the restoration of Arch was made on Monday to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who expressed satisfaction over the work.
Meanwhile, the State government has approved the alternative alignment of the flyover coming up at the junction of Poonamallee High Road and Anna Nagar 3 Avenue.
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According to sources in the Highways Department, there will be no need for additional land acquisition for this purpose.
“Only the compound wall of the Government Siddha and Ayurveda College is being disturbed. The least clearance is 4 metres. Originally, a subway had been proposed for traffic from Anna Nagar 3 Avenue to Koyambedu and that had required a lot of land acquisition. But that proposal has been dropped and a second-level flyover has been approved in its place,” the source explained.
Work on the new flyover is likely to commence only after six months as a fresh tender has to be called, new contract drawn and traffic diversion required for traffic from Poonamallee High Road to service lanes.
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Four sections
The flyover has four sections and work is in progress in all of them including the loop that takes traffic from Nelson Manickam Road to Chennai Central Station side. On completion of the two L-shaped flyovers, the existing right turn into Periyar EVR Salai for vehicles coming on Nelson Manickam Road would be closed and the loop would be the only option for them.
As per the traffic plan, motorists coming on Nelson Manickam Road would be required to take the flyover, the loop leading to Anna Nagar Third Avenue to go towards Aminjikarai on Poonamallee High Road.
They would use the semi-circular loop that would pass near the farm and join the traffic on Poonamallee High Road.