CHENNAI: The traffic snarls on Velachery-Tambaram Road might continue till September 2020 as the work on the Medavakkam flyover, which began in 2016 will take at least another 18 months to be completed, confirmed officials from the State Highways department.
“The original bidder for the project was replaced by a new one in December 2018 as they failed to complete their work on time. Land acquisition issues have been sorted out and the work on the rest of the 65 per cent of the flyover began last month,” said an official from the State Highways department.
The flyover is being built at a cost of Rs 250 crore. The width of the bridge is 24 m while the service road will be 7.5 m on both sides.
Commuters travelling on the road have been suffering for the past few years due to flyover construction and delay in execution.
“Ever since the construction of the flyover began, we are witnessing bottlenecks even during non-peak hours, and the road has been narrowed drastically. Parking encroachments on either side of the road add to our woes,” said R Aswin, a regular commuter, adding that it is a task to drive at night.
According to official data, more than 60,000 vehicles ply on the Velachery-Tambaram Road as it connects East Coast Road (ECR) with the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). Numerous schools, colleges and residences are located along the stretch.
“We dread living in the area as our homes have turned into dust bowls due to the construction. The officials keep promising that the work will be completed in six months, but we have been suffering for the past three years,” said Kamini Lal, a resident of Medavakkam.
The section of the flyover that will carry traffic from Tambaram to Velachery crossing three junctions — Medavakkam-Mambakkam, Sholinganallur-Medavakkam and Mount-Medavakkam — will be 2.3-km long. The other section, which will allow motorists through from the other direction, will be 1.5-km in length.