Velachery flyovers: Sewer, water lines to be shifted

The Velachery twin flyovers, which are being built at an estimated cost of Rs 92 crore, are supposed to ease traffic flow in the Vijayanagar junction, linking Velachery Main Road, Velachery Bypass Road, Taramani Link Road and GST Road.

“At the time of excavation of bridge foundation work for retaining wall and approach road on Velachery-Tambaram Road, we found Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s sewer pipelines and drinking water mains were running along the alignment. It is not possible to continue the retention wall and approach road work further without shifting sewer and drinking water pipelines,” a Highways Department official said. 

The official said that they could not shift the pipelines earlier following an issue over the land acquisition near the junction. “No construction work near the junction could be taken up due to a court case over acquiring a 1,300 square metre plot. There is a dispute within the landowner’s family, which delayed the settlement process,” the official said, adding that now the final hurdle to complete the twin flyover works was shifting of the sewer and water pipelines. 

As per the plan, one flyover will start at Velachery Bypass Road and end near the Velachery MRTS station, while the other will connect Taramani Link Road to the Bypass Road. The second flyover will go over the first one at a height of 13 metres at the junction. Both flyovers will have two lanes and will be unidirectional.