The issue of traffic congestion near the level crossing at Anglo French Textiles (AFT) mills will be resolved soon as the Railways is expected to begin work on the four-lane Road Over Bridge on the arterial Cuddalore Road.
Official sources said the Puducherry government had accorded administrative approval for the project. Southern Railway and the Highways Department of Puducherry will execute the two-lane Road Over Bridge under 50:50 cost sharing basis and the additional two-lane under deposit terms by the Puducherry Government.
The total project cost is estimated at ₹70 crore. The project cost of the two-lane ROB under 50% cost share between the Railways and the Puducherry Government is ₹17.85 crore each, amounting to ₹35.70 crore.
Puducherry has proposed an additional two-lane and the provisional cost of the additional lane is ₹35.70 crore, which will be borne by the government.
The level crossing is situated on Cuddalore Road branching off from Maraimalai Adigal Salai and connects Mudaliarpet and Uppalam. The frequent closure of the railway gate on the busy section has been causing much inconvenience to vehicle users and motorists.
According to a senior Railway official, “Work has begun on the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and it will be submitted shortly. The Railways will prepare the General Arrangement Drawings and Structural Drawings and the work would commence once the GAD is submitted.”
It has been a long pending demand from the residents of Mudaliarpet for construction of a ROB near the AFT mills to ease traffic congestion and frequent chaos at the level-crossing on the Cuddalore Road.
Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan accompanied by senior officials of Southern Railway recently inspected the site.
The four-lane ROB is proposed to be constructed for a length of 630 metres. The proposed ROB will start near the Providence Mall and end near the main building of AFT mills on the Cuddalore Road. The ROB will also include a limited use subway.
According to Vijayakumar, a resident, “The stretch from the AFT mills to Marappalam junction witnesses heavy traffic congestion with vehicles queuing up for a distance of one km during peak hours. The ROB is a long-pending demand and would help ease access for motorists travelling from the thickly populated areas of Mudaliarpet,” he said.
