Chennai
However, the State Highways (Metro Wing) officials maintain that they have completed one arm of the flyover and the traffic would ease once the second arm was completed.
After considering the heavy traffic congestion in Anna Arch junction, the government decided to construct the flyover near the arch in 2011 and allotted Rs.117 crore for the project.
However, the works were intermittently interrupted due to various reasons and officials managed to completed one arm of flyover at the end of February, 2016.
Subsequently, the first arm of the flyover built at a cost of Rs.35 crore was inaugurated by the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on March 1. The new flyover begins at Poonamallee High Road and ends on the Nelson Manickam Road.
The flyover was constructed for the convenience of motorists travelling from Koyambedu and Anna Nagar. However, motorists are reluctant to use the flyover and they passed the junction using the roads.
This leads to further traffic congestions. Speaking to DtNext, Mayilvaganan, an Assistant Engineer (Metro Wing) said, “The junction would usually witness heavy traffic congestions and we have completed one arm of the flyover. Further, works are in full swing for completing the second arm, which will begin from Nelson Manickam Road and end near the Anna Arch.
We expect to finish constructing the second arm of the flyover by June, 2016.” The engineer also admitted that there were traffic snares to some extent during the peak hours.
Asked why the motorists were hesitating to use the flyover, the Metro Wing officer replied, “Only a few motorists take the roads to access the shopping mall, companies and residential localities that are situated along the flyover.
Meanwhile motorists and road safety activists point fingers at the authority for not properly planning the flyover. “We hoped in the beginning that the flyover will reduce traffic congestion, but things seem to be the opposite and motorists proceeding to Koyambedu and Poonamallee need to wait longer durations than before the flyover was constructed,” said Vijay Gansh, who regularly passes through the congested junction.
He also quipped that the flyover seemed to have eaten up the available space. S Kannan, a city-based civic activist commented that, “The city is witnessing gradual increase in the number of vehicles.
It is imperative that officials properly plan the construction of flyovers. Even a single mistake in the blueprint will translate to more traffic woes for motorist.” He added that both arms of the Anna Arch flyover should have been completed by now, but works to complete the flyover still hangs in the balance.
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