CHENNAI: Much to the relief of residents in Tambaram, Perungalathur, and other suburban areas, the third arm of the road overbridge (ROB) at Perungalathur on GST Road has been opened for traffic. This will enable seamless movement of vehicles from Perungalathur bus stop to Sreenivasan Ragavan Nagar.
The construction of the ROB was initially proposed 15 years ago to replace level crossing gate 32 at Perungalathur railway station, which frequently caused vehicular pile-ups on GST road. Official sources said with the opening of the third arm, the LC gate facilitating vehicular traffic from GST to SR Nagar will be permanently closed.
Tha Mo Anbarasan, Minister for MSME and Tamil Nadu Urban Habitation Development Board, inaugurated the 400m-long section of the ROB. This bi-directional section will allow traffic from both SR Nagar and Vandalur. Vehicles coming from SR Nagar can utilise the ROB to reach GST Road and head towards Tambaram. Similarly, vehicles from Tambaram can access the bridge by making U-turns at the Vandalur road overbridge, which leads to the Perungalathur ROB and eventually to SR Nagar.
The construction of the ROB, featuring an elliptical-shaped rotary on GST road with six arms, is being built at `235 crore. Two arms that provide one-way vehicular movement from Vandalur towards Tambaram were opened in September last year.
However, construction is still underway for two arms in the opposite direction. Additionally, the construction of a 750-m arm connecting the Tambaram bypass road on Gandhi Road has been delayed due to issues in shifting the transformer.
A highway official said construction of the two arms in the Tambaram-Vandalur direction is delayed due to issues in acquiring forest land and OSR land. “Land acquisition is expected to be completed within two months.” A railway official said the LC gate is no longer necessary, and they will request permission from the District Collector to permanently close it.