Two road overbridges between Vellore and Tiruvannamalai were declared open by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami through videoconferencing on Monday.
The bridges were completed a couple of months ago and clearance was pending due to the announcement of Lok Sabha Election for the Vellore constituency.
District Collector A. Shanmuga Sundram, Rajya Sabha MP, A. Mohammed John, Vellore MLA P. Karthikeyan, former MLA V.S. Vijay, highways officials V. Srinivasan and Jayaraman participated in the function.
A bridge between Vellore Cantonment and Kaniyambadi railway station was needed due to frequent traffic snarls near the level crossing 123 (LC123). Former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in her budget speech 2013-14 announced (under Rule 110) the construction of the bridge connecting Thorappadi and Ariyur. The bridge was sanctioned at a cost of ₹21.96 crore. The length of the bridge is 660 metres and the motorable width is 11 metres. It can take two-way traffic and connects the Vellore town with Ariyur, Sripuram, Usoor and Anaikattu.
Taking this bridge is the shortest route to reach Sripuram from Vellore town. It is a boon to travellers to Golden Temple in Sripuram as they were forced to take a detour via Bagayam, Adukkamparai, Pennathur or Sitheri-Pennathur or Abdullapuram.
Similarly, the Vasanthapuram-Kasba bridge is an important link for schoolchildren and other road users. The bridge was also announced by Jayalalithaa in 2011-12. It has closed down two level crossing gates, 126 and 127.
The length of the bridge is 635.19 metres and the width is 7.5 metres. The total cost of the construction is ₹36.38 crore. The bridge provides connectivity to Vasanthapuram, Kasba and Sadhuperi.
“Railway authorities should fence the portion of land under the bridges to prevent encroachment by traders and residents,” said Sakthidasan, a trader from Vasanthapuram.
