Tenders have been invited for the construction of three flyovers and one underpass at a combined cost of ₹110 crore on Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road between Chengalpattu and Tindivanam.
Sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the tender process had been put on hold due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and that the contract would be awarded after the election. The flyovers will come up at the Uthiramerur Road-GST Road junction, near the Padalam truck lay bay and the new road to Tiruvannamalai being laid at Tindivanam. The underpass is meant for vehicles to take a U-turn at Maduranthakam.
All the flyovers will be four-lane structures but will have enough width to match the six-lane carriageway below. The construction will take one and a half years to complete and is likely to be completed by December 2025. “The work will not involve any land acquisition. These junctions require facilities such as flyovers and underpasses for smooth movement of local traffic,” an official source said.
Premkumar, a resident of Uthiramerur, said buses to Vandavasi, Polur, Chetpet, and Tiruvannamalai passed through Uthiramerur to reach their destinations. “Ours is a busy area, especially after Bukkathurai Road was widened. The NHAI should also create facilities for pedestrians on the national highway. Better lighting of interior roads would help,” he said.
Meanwhile, the State Highways Department is constructing a bypass to Uthiramerur town. Tenders have been called for the new road, which will be laid at a cost ₹35 crore. The project was announced over a decade ago.