CHENNAI: The urban chaos of overwhelming magnitude of vehicles on narrow, encroached and potholed roads has plagued Chennai. The rising tide of vehicular jam in some of the hotspots of the city especially Egmore has been a nightmare for commuters and two- and four-wheel owners. Manoeuvring through chock-a-block roads, staying calm in the cacophony of honks and right-of-way haggling is a seemingly farfetched possibility. But change begins with baby steps.
To ease the flow of traffic in Egmore, the City Corporation is set to build another bridge across the Cooum river, parallel to the existing Arunachalam bridge opposite Hotel Ramada.“Tenders have been finalised and the construction will start by February,” said an official with the Bridges Department of Corporation. The bridge will be built at a cost of `9.55 crore under the State Government’s Capital Grants Fund.Currently, the existing 10-m wide bridge is two-way for vehicles to enter and exit Gandhi Irwin Bridge Road.
However, as there has been heavy congestion during peak hours, the civic body has decided to build a separate bridge alongside this one.“About 57,208 vehicles ply through the Arunachalam bridge. Once the new bridge is built, the former will be made one-way allowing vehicles from Chintadripet to Gandhi Irwin Bridge while the new one will allow vehicles from the opposite direction,” the official said. The new bridge will be 10.55 metres wide and 70 metres long.
After its construction, the civic body is also set to move the round-turn at Egmore junction to a centralised point. Bridges get a faceliftUnder the Maintenance and Operation fund, the civic body is set to revamp three bridges in north Chennai — Vaidhyanathan bridge (Tondiarpet), Parthasarathy bridge (Mint) and MKB Nagar bridge — at a cost of Rs 15.22 crore. “Since most of the older bridges were built by Highways Department and later handed over to us, it’s lifetime has expired.
We will be restoring the cracks and seepage using micro concrete,” said the official. Tenders for the restoration too have been finalised and work may begin in February. By March, the civic body has planned to set LED dynamic lighting and vertical gardens in these bridges along with 11 other city bridges. The lighting will be given to 16 bridges, five pedestrian subways and 16 vehicular subways. These lights can illuminate a building projecting a specific design or colour. Spots like the ones beneath the Radhakrishnan Road flyover will be permitted for flash mobs, dance programmes and other events once the dynamic lights are placed.