CHENNAI: Residents of Alandur and Adambakkam have been waiting for more than 15 years for a foot overbridge near the closed railway level crossing 15 near AJS Nidhi School, with the long-pending project remaining stalled despite the laying of a foundation stone last year.
Although the level crossing was officially closed in 2002, pedestrians continue to use the spot as an unauthorised crossing due to the lack of a safe alternative. With frequent train movement on the Chennai Beach-Tambaram section, the stretch has emerged as a dangerous point, forcing residents and students to take long detours via the St. Thomas Mount subway.
The Level Crossing 15 near AJS Nidhi School connects Masthan Gowri Street in Adambakkam with the St. Thomas Mount-Guindy stretch. The foot overbridge was estimated to cost Rs 2.44 crore. While the foundation stone was laid in April last year, work has not progressed since then.
Shankar J Manohar, a resident of Adambakkam, said, "The Railways had constructed a wall four years ago to prevent accidents after several deaths were reported while crossing the tracks. In the absence of an FOB, schoolchildren and residents from more than five neighbourhoods are forced to take a detour of nearly 2 km to reach the other side."
The demand for a safe pedestrian crossing dates back over a decade. In 2008, the then Alandur municipality proposed a pedestrian subway. After the merger with the Greater Chennai Corporation, the civic body adopted a resolution in 2011 to build a subway at an estimated cost of Rs 1.56 crore, but the project did not take off.
The principal of the government-aided AJS Nidhi School said several students had lost their lives in accidents while attempting to cross the tracks. Over 300 students from the Adambakkam side attend the school. The principal added that Southern Railway initiated the project last year and expressed hope that the work would be completed at the earliest.
S Suganya, a parent, said families have been waiting for years for the facility. She pointed out that the FOB would reduce the walking distance between Masthan Gowri Street in Adambakkam and Ponniamman Street in Alandur to a few minutes. In the absence of the bridge, parents and students are forced to walk about 1.5 km via Karuneegar Street.
A Chennai Corporation official said initial works began after the foundation ceremony in April 2025, but construction was halted due to a change in design. Despite repeated follow-ups with the contractor and Southern Railway, there has been no progress since then.
Multiple attempts to reach Southern Railway officials for comment were unsuccessful.