More than three years after they were scheduled to be finished, flyovers in two traffic hotspots are finally inching towards completion.
The State Highways Department is giving finishing touches to Moolakadai and Thirumangalam flyovers. “Electrification and painting is being carried out now. The approach road and outer layer of the road is being laid. We expect this work to be completed in three weeks. Signages and markings too will be ready,” said officials.
The four-lane flyover at Moolakadai in north Chennai, work on which began in 2011, is being constructed at the junction of Madhavaram High Road and GNT Road (NH 5- Kolkatta Highway) at a cost of Rs. 49.55 crore. Construction of the flyover was delayed due to problems in land acquisition and shifting of utilities including water mains.
“We travel on Madhavaram High Road only on Sundays as there is too much traffic during the rest of the week. Hopefully, the flyover will put an end to traffic problems at the junction,” said Lakshmi Kumar, of Kolathur.
The 805-metre long Thirumangalam flyover, a Rs. 60.23-crore project on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, will cut across two intersections – Anna Nagar 2{+n}{+d}Avenue and Mogappair Road. The work began in December, 2010 and residents have been furious with the government for letting the project drag on for so many years.
The project was delayed due to Metro Rail tunnelling work.
R. Prakash of Anna Nagar said almost every road in Anna Nagar has been barricaded or made one-way for the Metro Rail project and hoped that normal flow of traffic will be restored once the flyover is opened.
