Fed up with waiting for the completion of twin flyovers at Pattabiram, residents have planned to flood the Chief Minister’s Special Cell with postcards and email urging him to ensure that the works were finished as soon as possible.
“At any point of time, there are just a handful of workers at the work site. The only thing that is happening is the extension of deadlines for the project. A couple of years ago, the construction had been abandoned. We want Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to direct the officials to speed up the work, which is why we have started emailing and sending postcards to the CM’s Special Cell,” said Roy Rozario, a resident.
M. Anandan, who runs a bicycle repair shop in the area, said it had been five years since traffic was diverted for the flyover work. “There are no MTC buses on this route, which has forced us to send our children to schools by share-autorickshaws. I end up spending around ₹100 a day on the commute of my two children. Our businesses have been affected. We need this project to be finished fast,” he said.
Residents want at least one flyover to be completed before the monsoon. “The road beneath the flyovers is in a bad shape, full of potholes and when it rains, the situation cannot be imagined. Accidents keep happening due to this. The route taken by motorists via Thandurai has a flyover and it is very narrow with a sharp curve. The completion of these flyovers would bring some relief to traffic during rush hours,” said Priya, a resident.
Sources in the Highways Department said that special attention was paid to the work and the flyover that will carry traffic from Avadi to Tiruvallur side is likely to be completed by the end of September. “The retaining walls for the approaches have to be built and earth filled, crash barriers are to be constructed and wearing coat to be laid. The railways has completed its portion of the work too. Only when traffic is allowed on that side can the railway gate below be closed fully for the work to be taken up on the other side,” said an official.
