CHENNAI: In six months, crossing over to Tambaram railway station from West Tambaram bus terminus and vice versa, across the bustling Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road will be much safer as the construction of Foot over Bridge (FoB) will be completed by then.
Following numerous fatal accidents, where pedestrians were mostly hit by vehicles while trying to cross GST -National Highway 45 - the State Highways department began the construction of the FoB in January 2018 at a cost of Rs 17 crore. According to official data, nearly 60,000 pedestrians cross that point, daily.
Official sources from the State Highways department confirmed that the work will be over by November 2019. The total length of the skywalk-cum-FoB is proposed to be 240 m. It will enable people from West Tambaram bus terminus to reach Tambaram railway station directly.
“Work only began in June 2018 as the initial six months went off in obtaining clearance from several departments including Railway Traffic. Also, as the road is very busy, we only have permission to work from 11 pm to 4 am. We will complete the work before November, this year,” said an official from the State Highways department.
Additional facilities include installation of CCTV cameras, ramps, escalator, e-toilet and construction of a ticket counter at the point where the skywalk meets the station’s FoB. Though there is a pedestrian subway nearby, there is not much public patronage. Hawkers and small traders take up much of the subway, and the lights seldom work. So, the intended beneficiaries instead prefer to cross the road. “The subway is frequented by tipplers at night and incidents of groping are common. So, we avoid the subway and prefer to cross the road amid zipping vehicles instead. An FoB will be very helpful,” said R Miriyam, a college student. In 2014, authorities were forced to make a gap in the median and create a pedestrian crossing with a signal.
KR Gopalan, a resident of Chromepet, said traffic is chaotic at the point where the FoB is coming up, especially during weekends when mofussil buses wait on the road. Adding to the chaos, private buses take over much of the space on the eastern side of the GST Road. “Most of the FoBs in the city are vandalised, filled with garbage and serve no purpose. The officials must ensure that this FoB is well-maintained,” he said.
Daniel John a reisdent of Selaiyur said, “The traffic police are deployed near the crossing only during rush hours, and motorists don’t pay heed to the pedestrian signal.”