The Highways Department has begun work to construct a bridge on the Sholinganallur-Medavakkam Road that will allow large volumes of rainwater to reach the Okkiyam Madugu from the marshlands.
The existing bridge is only 10 metres wide. The new one, which will be 75 metres wide and have three spans of 25 m each, will provide enough space for gushing floodwaters to pass through, said an official.
The ₹15 crore work had been suggested by the Thirupugazh Committee to prevent flooding, but was put on hold due to MetRail’s construction on that road that connects the Tambaram-Velachery Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai and carries over 60,000 vehicles a day.