In a major relief to the commuters heading towards Ariyur, the high-level bridge under construction at Ariyapalayam near Villianur is nearing completion.
Public Works Department (PWD) sources said the high-level bridge would be thrown open to the public by July this year. With this, the traffic congestion on the stretch from Villianur to Ariyur would be solved to a great extent.
The project estimated at ₹59.49 crore with financial assistance from the Union Government includes strengthening and widening of around 11-km stretch from M.N. Kuppam to Indira Gandhi square on the Puducherry-Villupuram Road and construction of a high-level bridge over the Sankaraparani River at Ariyapalayam.
The foundation stone for the project was laid on February 11, 2022.
“The high-level bridge is 365 metres long and 18 metres wide. It is coming adjacent to the existing high-level bridge on the Sankaraparani River that has become a traffic bottleneck in the city’s suburbs. It will be a four-lane bridge when compared to the existing two-lane bridge. Currently, more than 5,000 vehicles use the existing bridge every day, and the vehicle load will reduce significantly, removing the bottleneck,” said an official.
The new bridge will ease traffic, facilitating faster commute to Ariyur and areas beyond.
According to official sources, work on the simultaneous strengthening and widening of the 11-km stretch from M.N. Kuppam to Indira Gandhi square is also nearing completion. Work on the second layer of bitumen has been completed upto 7 kms out of the total length of 11 kms.
The drain work on the road has already been completed while the work on the median is nearing completion. Around 95% of the high-level bridge and road widening has been completed and the bridge would be thrown open to traffic by July.
As part of the road widening work, the existing carriageway has been strengthened at Vadamangalam, Ariyapalayam, Villianur, Sulthanpet, Arumparthapuram, Moolakulam, Jaya Nagar, Kamban Nagar, Reddiyarpalayam and Jawahar Nagar.
The widened road would have bus shelters, road safety sign boards and markings with thermoplastic paints.
Officials said the existing bridge would continue to remain in use. The existing two-lane bridge will permit residents of Ariyapalayam and surrounding villages to travel comfortably to Villianur and Puducherry.
