Work on Jawaharlal Nehru Road grade separator moves at snail’s pace

Considering the increasing traffic on the stretch, the State Highway (SH), in 2011, proposed to construct a grade separator on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Though it faced many hurdles to get clearance certificates from various government agencies, the SH managed to start the construction in 2017 at the cost of Rs 93.5 crore. However, it caused severe inconvenience to motorists. Further, the construction work near the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus entry areas added to the traffic woes. 

“Work was sluggish in the beginning, but it is picking up pace now. Our aim is to complete the work soon. Around 500 metres of 1,055 metres is yet to be completed. We have put girders in place,” said a senior engineer seeking anonymity. We are continuously monitoring the work, he added. 

As the government and private Mofussil buses run through the stretch at night, officials of highways department have sought help from police personnel to divert the buses to Maduravoyal Bypass and police have assured to help them. “Moreover, the Metro Water pipelines are passing through the stretch and that had affected the construction in its earlier stage,” he said. After completing the work, the traffic flow will be better on the stretch, with only MTC buses taking the existing routes to CMBT, he added.

Meanwhile, motorists have urged the officials to speed up the construction. 

A senior official of Metro Wing said that “the volume of vehicles in the stretch is huge and construction work can be taken up at night only. The police department is also helping us to regulate traffic so that we can take up the work without any interruption.” 

The official added that it will take four more months to complete the project. The project was expected to be completed by June 28.