The State government has sanctioned ₹331 crore for the construction of four flyovers on Rajiv Gandhi Salai (Old Mahabalipuram Road). It has released ₹50 crore as the first instalment for the same.
The flyovers at Taramani-SRP Tools junction, MGR Salai-Perungudi, Thoraipakkam Radial Road junction and Sholinganallur junction are long-pending demands of vehicle users.
The work, to be completed in two years, is to be taken up jointly by Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. and the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) with the latter being the managing associate to implement the project, according to official sources.
“The idea is to ensure that the public is not put to hardship with different agencies working on two facilities. If the work is taken up simultaneously along with Metro Rail construction, the time taken to complete it would come down,” the source added.
The cost of the flyovers had been estimated at ₹459.32 crore. Of this, TNRDC would contribute ₹331 crore for which the State government had given sanction. The remaining would be borne by CMRL.
The flyovers had become necessary as there had been a tremendous increase in vehicular traffic on the road as a large number of IT companies, educational institutions, and residential areas had come up in the past decade. The traffic hold up at major junctions is more than 30 minutes during peak hours.
Since the right of way could not be widened in any manner and traffic density having crossed more than 10,000 passenger car units per hour, flyovers were needed, according to IRC-SP-41-1994, said a retired engineer of the Highways department.
The TNRDC had submitted the designs for the flyovers that are to be aligned with the Metro Rail line. The flyovers will be at the first level while the Metro tracks would be on the second.
G. Krishna, a resident of Thoraipakkam, said that vehicle users suffered a lot because of the CMRL work. “The road is already congested and there are no alternative routes. The government should ensure that during construction of these flyovers, vehicle users were not put to undue trouble,” he said.
