CHENNAI: Work on two major projects in the city — the flyover at South Usman Road in T Nagar and the rail over bridge over Ganesapuram subway — is to start by June. The city corporation has floated tenders for both the projects.
The flyover at South Usman Road will be two-laned and is expected to clear up the congestion at the stretch by connecting the junction near T Nagar bus stand and will extend until CIT Nagar, stopping around 100m short of Anna Salai. The project will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 98.63 crore.
“The flyover will help clear up the traffic. For this, a small part of the existing flyover will be removed. Work orders will be issued in June and it will be completed in two years,” said a senior corporation official.
While flyovers are considered when the Passenger Car Units (PCU) are over 10,000, corporation officials said since there is congestion in the area, the PCU may not be an accurate measure for the need of a flyover. The PCU is a metric used to assess traffic flow.
When work on the flyover begins, however, residents may have to navigate through traffic diversions for a few months. Considering this is one of the busiest stretches in the city and a commercial hub, officials are expecting a disruption of traffic as work progresses. While alternate routes have not been finalised, officials said they are working out the details to ensure minimal disruption.
Similarly, a four-lane rail over bridge over Ganesapuram subway is also expected to begin in about three months, said corporation officials. The project, near the Vyasarpadi Jeeva railway station, is to be taken up at an estimated Rs 81.5 crore. The Ganesapuram subway is in a poor state despite renovations and remains unusable for weeks after rains. The RoB is expected to relieve the pressure on this subway. “The subway will still be there and can be used by slow-moving vehicles,” said a corporation official.
Strahans road flyover dropped
Apart from these two major projects, one other flyover was initially planned, connecting Strahans road via Cooks road. However, the project has since been dropped due to proposed Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) work in the area. “The CMRL will take up the initiative to provide a solution to traffic congestion in the area. We are also discussing alternate solutions like a roundabout to ensure free flow of traffic,” said a corporation official