CHENNAI: The signal momentarily turned red, on a pleasant Friday morning, and pedestrians standing opposite the New Life AG Church (near Little Mount) quickly seized the opportunity to cross the vehicle-choked Anna Salai. But they might have been spared the waiting time if only the proposed pedestrian subway, sanctioned about four years back, had come up.
The State Highways Department had planned five pedestrian subways in the city, including the aforementioned one but they are yet to take off. Several attempts to find bidders for the projects have failed, forcing department officials to rework the original design.
All of them figure under the Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan, which utilises State budgetary allocation to build infrastructure in Chennai metropolitan area as per the second master plan of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority for the years 2010-2026. Officials say the State government had accorded administrative sanction at a cost of `19 crore for the subways. The project was to be implemented in 2013-2014 but so far not even a stone has been broken.
When asked about the status, a highway official told Express: “For the pedestrian subways at Ekkaduthangal and near Kasi Theatre, we had floated tenders six times. But no party has expressed interest citing difficulties in shifting underground utilities.”
Since the Chennai metro corridor passes through that route, Highways Department has now requested CMRL officials for undertaking a joint inspection to identify new locations for the pedestrian subways.
Similarly, the ones proposed at MKN Road-GST Road junction in Guindy and near New Life AG Church has been deemed as not feasible. “We are now looking into the possibility of converting them to foot overbridges,” the official said.
At the MKN Road-GST Road junction, a link for pedestrians to cross over to either side is essential. At present, there is one subway, packed during peak hours, which connects Guindy Railway station with Guindy Industrial Estate.
As far as the fifth delayed subway, slated to come up near CMBT, the official said: “We can finalise its design only after the completion of the grade separator, for which work is underway there. However, a pedestrian subway has been included as part of the grade separator project.”