A decade-long wait comes to an end as work to construct the Rail Over Bridge (ROB), which is set to replace the existing manned railway level crossing (LC: 37) at Anvarthikanpet railway station - about 15 km from Arakkonam, resumed with the foundation stone-laying ceremony on Thursday.
“The bridge is a long-standing demand of residents, comprising mostly government staff and farmers, as they have to wait for long at the level crossing every day. Ambulances were also not spared of the ordeal,” said K. Raguraman, a resident.
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the bridge work taken up by the Department of Highways. He was accompanied by Ranipet Collector S. Valarmathi and A. M. Munirathinam, MLA (Sholinghur).
The work had come to a halt soon after the Southern Railway completed its portion of carriageway work (62.80 metres) across the track a decade ago.
As per the project plan, the new bridge will be built at a cost of ₹24.69 crore by the Construction and Maintenance Wing of the State Highways (Arakkonam) in 18 months.
The new two-lane bridge will be 748.79 metres long, 7.5 metres wide with tiled footpath for walkers and drains to discharge rainwater to the collection pit below the bridge. LED street lights, CCTV cameras, reflectors and warning sign boards will also be installed. Approach roads toward Arakkonam and Nemili will respectively be 95.09 metres and 140.90 metres long.
Highways officials said at present the existing level crossing, on an average, would be closed 130 times every day to facilitate the movement of trains, resulting in a long haul that affects residents of about 25 villages dependant on the facility to reach Sholinghur and Arakkonam towns.
Also, due to the frequent closure of the level crossing, residents, mostly farmers and petty traders, from Nemili panchayat union take a detour of 25 km to reach Arakkonam to sell their produce. The new bridge will end the ordeal of motorists, officials said.
Tucked between big towns such as Sholinghur and Arakkonam, Anvarthikanpettai is a farming village housing about 800 families. Most of the residents, including students and officegoers, depend on Arakkonam, the nearest town, for basic facilities such as a government hospital, schools, colleges, banks, bus terminus and wholesale markets.
