CHENNAI: Residents and activists in Pattabiram are urging the State Highways and Southern Railway (SR) departments to hasten the completion of the second span of the Road Over Bridge (ROB) at the LC-2 railway gate in Pattabiram Siding, which has remained pending for over a year. Officials had earlier assured that the second arm of the ROB would be ready by March 2025.
However, residents are now demanding that the work be completed by January 31 to ease traffic congestion. They have also sought the construction of a roundabout opposite the Pattabiram T9 police station.
Augustine Roy Rozario, general secretary, People’s Voice Federation of Welfare Associations, said, “The ROB project on the Chennai–Tiruvallur High Road was included in the SR works programme in 2010-11. The General Agreement Drawing was signed by the State Highways Department and Railways three years later in April 2014.”
The ROB work began in 2018 but faced delays due to land acquisition issues and the pandemic. The first arm of the bridge was commissioned in September 2024 for Rs 78.35 crore. During the inauguration, officials had promised that the second arm would be ready by March 2025.
“With only one arm functioning, traffic movement has become a bottleneck. When a vehicle breaks down on the bridge, there is no way to bypass it. This disrupts the entire stretch and causes severe congestion,” Rozario said.
D Dhana, a resident of Pattabiram, said the absence of a roundabout near the T9 police station forces vehicles to take long detours to make U-turns. “Vehicles from Tirunindravur cannot turn directly towards Thandurai. Similarly, vehicles heading towards Avadi must go nearly a kilometre under the flyover before returning,” he pointed out.
Concurring with him was another activist, T Sadagopan, who added: “The construction of an IT park nearby has increased traffic and made pedestrian movement unsafe. A skywalk can ensure safe crossing.”
An official from the State Highways Department said the remaining works, undertaken in coordination with the SR, were expected to be completed by February 2026. “Once the ROB is fully completed, it will be inaugurated. As of now, the priority is to finish the bridge works. Tendering for the roundabout has not been initiated,” the official said.