CHENNAI: What happened to the roundabout promised after completion of the Pattabiram Road Over Bridge (ROB) project? That question, along with continuing uncertainty over the status of works linked to the bridge’s second span, is at the centre of growing concerns among residents in Pattabiram.
The concerns stem from changes in traffic movement around the junction near Pattabiram police station, where residents say motorists can no longer make some turning movements that existed before the bridge came up.
They argue a proposed roundabout, once promised after completion of the ROB, could have addressed the issue. “People who could earlier access the station area with a simple right turn are now forced to travel further and loop back through a U-turn,” said Augustine Roy Rozario, founder, People’s Voice Federation, and president of the Rail Passengers Association, Pattabiram.
The Pattabiram ROB, taken up in lieu of the LC-2 railway level crossing gate across the Pattabiram Military Siding (PTMS) line on the Chennai-Tiruvallur High Road (CTH Road), was approved by the State government in 2011 and construction began in March 2018 at a cost of Rs 78.32 crore. The issue is most visible at the junction near Pattabiram police station, which caters to traffic from Pattabiram, Tirunindravur and surrounding localities.
Motorists from Tirunindravur towards Pattabiram railway station and nearby neighbourhoods can no longer make direct turns that were possible earlier, while some U-turn facilities have been shifted farther away. The controversy centres on the proposed roundabout.
In a communication dated June 27, 2024, the Highways department told residents that the roundabout would be executed after the entire bridge was completed, and that the service road connectivity between Gandhi Nagar and Charles Nagar had been partially completed, with remaining works, including a U-turn facility, under progress.
However, in a December 2025 RTI reply, the department stated the ‘Roundtana work’ had not been sanctioned. Four months later, in a reply dated April 9, 2026, it said that a roundabout was not considered necessary, since traffic movement would be properly regulated once both carriageways of the bridge were opened.
“The absence of a roundabout and traffic signal has affected vehicles approaching from multiple directions,” lamented a resident. “Motorists from Poonamallee and Thandurai going towards Pattabiram are unable to make certain turns, while buses from western neighbourhoods face difficulties accessing some routes because of restrictions.”
Residents have also continued to question the status of works linked to the ROB’s second span. A December 2025 RTI reply stated it was “under progress”. However, an April 2026 communication from the Highways department stated that construction of the second span had been completed, though traffic was being permitted only on one side of the bridge owing to ongoing construction activity.
In a representation sent to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on June 21, Rozario alleged works connected to the railway portion of the bridge were still continuing and sought intervention for their early completion.