The flyover at Senneer Kuppam in Poonamallee on the Poonamallee High Road wears a pathetic look, with small plants growing in crevices and cracks showing up on its walls.
Tucked between big neighbourhoods in the outskirts including Avadi, Thiruverukadu, Poonamallee and Kundrathur, the nearly two-decade-old bridge is the entry and exit point from the city’s western section through the outpost in Nazarathpeth, a small village near Poonamallee, connecting the city with the Bangalore Highway and neighbouring Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Vellore districts.
The service lanes of the bridge directly connect to Poonamallee and Avadi.
Most of the buses of IT and manufacturing companies in Irunkattukottai and Sriperambadur use the bridge. Further, farmers also use the facility to transport their produce to the Koyambedu Wholesale Market, around 6 km away.
“As the bridge does not have lights, we find it difficult to see potholes from a distance,” says B. Murugan, a motorist from Poonamallee.
Despite its significance, the condition of the bridge has been allowed to worsen over the years due to poor maintenance and weather conditions. Most of the bitumen topping on the bridge has worn off. Steel barricades for pedestrian safety have rusted and damaged and the road is pothole-ridden. A few old sodium vapour lights can be seen on a few spots along the service lanes.
Cracks due to the growth of saplings on the walls of the bridge are visible. Interestingly, a police booth and the assistant commissioner of police for traffic office are located on either side of the bridge.
Accidents are frequent on the service lanes and the bridge, say motorists. A lone traffic police constable regulates traffic at the tri-junction in front of the Saveetha Dental College, around 200 metres from the bridge, mainly during rush hour. For the rest of the day, motorists and pedestrians are on their own. “Steps will be taken to repair the bridge and re-lay its service lanes soon,” says a State Highways official.
