Construction work is under way of a foot overbridge at Velachery in Chennai. (Christopher Story)
Chennai: Commuters stepping out of the Velachery MRTS station won’t have to walk 800m along the busy 100-Ft Road to cross safely, or jump the median braving speeding vehicles. The ₹14-crore FOB is being built as a fully enclosed structure with escalators, lifts and gently inclined staircases to make it accessible to elderly people, children and persons with disabilities.
Officials said the project was delayed after bidders quoted rates higher than the tender amount. Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association in Velachery, said the FOB would provide a much-needed safe link between west and east Velachery. Accidents have also occurred at this junction,” she said. A traffic police officer posted in the area said violations such as wrong-side driving, jaywalking, and signal jumping continued despite measures including median barricading, personnel deployment, and periodic removal of encroachments. “Better coordination between the highways department and other agencies, along with greater civic discipline, is needed to prevent such violations,” the officer said.
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan (CMDP) wing of state highways department has finally started work on a foot-overbridge (FOB) near Nalli Silks on Velachery Main Road after a year of delay. “With a school and several commercial establishments nearby, students and residents are forced to cross the busy road at great risk.
The proposal was then placed before the Commissionerate of Tenders (CoT) for approval, which delayed the launch of work.
Palanivel, chief engineer, state highways, said, “The delay was due to pending approval from other departments. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news. Now that construction has started, the FOB is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Download the TOI App.