Chennai suburbs to have 16 new bridges

Project follows a survey by govt agencies after last year’s floods
Heavy traffic witnessed on 200 ft Radial road at Eechangadu junction, one of the proposed sites for a new bridge on Saturday | Ashwin prasath
Heavy traffic witnessed on 200 ft Radial road at Eechangadu junction, one of the proposed sites for a new bridge on Saturday | Ashwin prasath

CHENNAI: In an attempt to ensure free flow of road traffic even during incessant rains and floods, the State government has sanctioned funds to construct 16 new bridges in suburban areas. 


Among them, three new projects will come up at St Thomas Mount, Villivakkam and Poonamallee blocks where traffic came to a standstill during the 2015 floods. 


Unlike the core areas, causeways and low-level bridges form an important form of transportation on city outskirts and once these structures got damaged or submerged during last year’s floods, people were left stranded with no alternative route to escape. 


In response to this, various government agencies including the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (TNRD) took up a survey to identify spots which were in dire need of bridges in these situations. 


This team identified 16 stretches on outskirts (Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur district) for construction of bridges. 
“At Villivakkam, a one-km elevated structure will be constructed connecting AV Road to Pandeswaram Link Road via Arunthathipalayam at an estimated cost of `2.5 crore,” said a senior TNRD official. People in these areas and nearby Arakkambakkam panchayat suffered without access to food and drinking water during the floods, the official added.


Other major infrastructure was to be built at St Thomas Mount revenue block along Nokkampalayam Road. Government sources said that though the initial proposed cost for this structure was only `35.80 lakh, the authorities had tweaked the plan at the last minute to decongest this stretch with high traffic volume escalating the cost up to `1.1 crore.   The government has sanctioned `1.75 crore to construct a 450-metre submersible causeway at Amudurmedu, Poonamalle across Coovum River. 

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