CHENNAI: In what could be considered as a significant milestone, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has installed a major segment of a new skywalk that is coming up on the GST Road near the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus on Sunday.
According to a report in The Hindu, the project involved placing a 100-tonne prefabricated deck slab that would help in significantly improving commuter connectivity, as it would allow passengers to safely cross the congested highway.
Officials said that work on the second arm of the skywalk across the opposite side of the GST Road is scheduled for the first week of December. Once this section is complete, pedestrians can travel in an uninterrupted route from the Kilambakkam Railway Station to the MTC and Mofussil Bus Terminals.
Authorities plan to expedite the remaining construction, including portions within the suburban railway station and over a patch of private land, as they have planned to inaugurate the entire skywalk by the end of January 2026.
The newly completed structure is designed in a way that it can be expanded in the future to connect up to five railway platforms as the passenger volume increases. The nine-metre-wide deck will be equipped with many amenities for the passengers, including small kiosks, restrooms, ticket counters and facilities to help senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
It may be noted that the main reason behind the infrastructure upgrade was to combat the high traffic at the terminus, which sees a footfall between 30000 to 60000 commuters on a daily basis and can go up to eight lakh visitors during festival seasons. Once the skywalk is completed, the existing pedestrian crossing on the road will be permanently closed, officials said.
Subsequently, land acquisition for a planned Metro Rail extension to Kilambakkam is also expected to be fast-tracked with a target to implement the project within two years.
The National Highways Authority of India had granted a no-objection certificate for the work on the condition that there should be minimal traffic disruptions and inconvenience to motorists.