The 675-metre ₹23.37-crore bridge at Elavur on the Chennai-Sulurpetta railway line is expected to be ready in a couple of months. The construction that began in 2012 had been put on hold in 2015 due to a case filed by a private party objecting to the alignment.
“We have now proposed a change in the alignment thereby reducing the land requirement for the road-over-bridge. Only about 60 metres of work remains and that will be taken up very soon. Since a change has been suggested, the court had disposed of the case,” said a source in the Highways Department.
The approach ramp on one side has been completed and so also the service lanes on either side of the bridge. The Southern Railway, which proposed the project in the 2008-09 Railway Works Programme, has completed the portion over the railway lines.
Elavur is on NH5, the Kolkatta Road, between Gummidipoondi and Arambakkam and the gate is manually operated since the bridge is yet to be completed.
V. Ravi, who runs RMM Transport in Gummidipoondi, said the work had been put on hold for two years. “Each time that a train passes, the gate is closed for a minimum of 15 minutes. Since there are other bridges within a kilometre or two, residents of Elavur are able to take those in case of emergencies. But either way, they spend additional time and fuel. Steps must be taken to finish the work,” he said.
