TIRUCHY: The 159-year-old railway overbridge near the Maris theatre in the city is again in the spotlight as the railway is allegedly yet to take steps towards it demolition. The bridge’s demolition and construction of a new one in its place with approach roads is a joint project of the state and Union governments with a 50:50 contribution in expenses.
The city corporation had started the work on the approach roads to the bridge in November 2023. However, the railway is allegedly yet to start any work, drawing criticism about the possible delay in the completion of the project. Sources said the corporation is expecting to complete its part of the work by this year. But its completion alone would not be enough to open the bridge for traffic.
“What is the point in finishing the approach roads and other works without a new bridge? It would turn out to be a waste of public money. The traffic through the bridge has been stopped for over a year. The railway should stop this sit-and-watch approach and start work on the bridge,” said K Alagiri, an elderly local resident.
“There is no clarity on when the railway would be able to commence the demolition and reconstruction works. There are also doubts whether such works would affect the rail traffic through this route. Even if they commenced the demolition, it would be a challenging task for the railway to complete the project this year itself,” said T Kathiresan, a retired PWD engineer and resident of Woraiyur.
A senior railway official said the demolition will commence after getting an expert opinion. “It is a British-era bridge constructed in a ‘U’-shaped or arch-shaped manner. It is a challenging task to demolish it swiftly. Apart from this, a major railway line passing through the Tiruchy Fort station runs under the bridge. We have to take an expert opinion to consider the best strategy for its safe demolition. We would soon form an expert panel for opinion. Once we get their opinion, we will start the work without further delay,” the official said.