Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Saturday inaugurated two flyovers - one at Vijayanagar junction in Velachery and the other at Perungalathur, replacing LC 32 over the railway lines, running parallel to GST Road.
He threw open the facilities constructed at a total cost of ₹105 crore via video conferencing during an event held at the Secretariat.
The two projects were long-pending demands of residents in the respective areas. The 915 metre long Velachery flyover, which is level one of a pair of flyovers, would allow motorists heading from Velachery bypass side to Tambaram. The second level is already open for traffic. The flyovers were constructed to reduce traffic congestion at the extremely busy junction.
“Motorists used to dread taking the junction and look for interior routes that would let them avoid entering this place. Adjustments in signal timings were not enough to handle the traffic. When the other level was opened, half the traffic took it. Now moving around at-grade has become easier,” said Purushothaman, a resident.
At Perungalathur where the flyover is one arm of a larger grade separator with six arms, traffic proceeding from Chengalpattu to Chennai will be able to use it to avoid the junction below. The Perungalathur junction used to be a headache for motorists with it taking over half an hour to just cross the 1 km stretch due to the presence of the bus stand at that point. Steps are being taken to move the stand and provide connectivity to the Eastern Bypass.
