CHENNAI: After a considerable delay, the Vyasarpadi flyover is now completely open for motorists, but local residents who parted with land for the project, have pointed out the shoddy job done by highways department. The service road has not been laid and essential utilities like storm water drains are not in place.
The flyover stands tall, but lack of signage leads to traffic chaos, especially in the evenings. Sanctioned by the DMK government, the foundation stone for the Rs 88.68 crore project was laid on May 2010. The ‘Y’ shaped, 1.7-km-long four-lane flyover has two arms — one which leads to Erukancherry High Road and the other to Sathyamurthy Nagar Main Road. While one wing — Sathyamurthy Nagar Main road — was opened to public in November 2015, the other arm was inaugurated only on Thursday.
Ghisulal Jain, a resident of Erukancherry High Road, had been waiting for the flyover to be finished, but is now ruing the incomplete work. He claims life has become harder as the road, running beneath on either side, is not motorable. “Earth that was dug out has been flattened, but the surface is very uneven and rain makes it worse. Street lights haven’t been installed yet,” he said. Jain said that children and senior citizens have to be extra cautious while walking.
It is not just the road that demands attention, as residents claim work on storm water drain has been left unfinished. Even the electric lines, currently on a loop connection, are at risk of getting snapped. “Temporary power lines run below the earth and even heavy vehicle movement could be enough to break it,” said S Sridhar, a resident for over five decades.
More significantly, there is confusion over the traffic plan. There is absolutely no signage in place and as this reporter witnessed on Friday, two-wheelers speed up the newly-opened arm while there is a constant flow of vehicles from the opposite direction. “The wing (of the flyover) leading to Erukancherry High Road is a narrow stretch abutting a busy market.
We anticipate serious traffic block at this spot,” said M Johnson, who runs a saloon shop. When contacted, highways department officials stated that tenders have been issued for the service road and storm water drain. “As far as the fixing traffic plan is concerned, vehicular flow is being analysed,” an official said.