CHENNAI: Work on the long-pending Kolathur-Villivakkam road overbridge (ROB) is complete and it will be thrown open to traffic by Chief Minister MK Stalin on May 13. The overbridge is expected to decongest the level crossing LC1 and make the commute easier for vehicles from and to Anna Nagar, Kolathur, Korattur, Villivakkam and Perambur. The bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 61.9 crore.
Corporation officials had expected work to get over by March last year, but the project was delayed due to several issues, including land acquisition and the pandemic. Officials had identified around 3,000 sq m of encroached land on the Kolathur side, which further delayed the project. The corporation had relocated 34 families to the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board tenement in Athipattu for the project, at Rs 23 lakh towards beneficiary contribution to the houses.
HR&CE Minister PK Sekarbabu who inspected the bridge on Saturday said the project was close to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s heart and he pushed for its construction over the last 10 years as the MLA of Kolathur, also having petitioned the centre in this regard.
The ROB is set to connect Kolathur main road and E Seeyalam street near ICF, spanning 477m.
The railways carried out a portion of work, an 82m stretch, whereas the corporation laid approaches in the remaining 395m which constituted 234m on the ICF side and 191m on the Kolathur side.