Chennai residents fume as CTH bridge work yet to start

Chennai: Lack of progress in the construction of a road overbridge to ease traffic congestion and vehicular hold-ups on the CTH (Chennai-Tiruvallur High) road, has left residents of Pattabiram fuming.

Since 2012, residents in Pattabiram near the PTMS railway line had been demanding a road overbridge to reduce traffic snarls due to vehicles being held up in closing the railway gate, through which 36 services of EMU trains from Chennai and a few goods trains pass in a day.

“When the gate closes, which happens several times a day, pedestrians are not able to use the service road before or after the train passes, as two-wheelers occupy those spaces. Even after the train crosses, it takes a huge amount of time before the hold-up is cleared,” said Roy Rozario, general secretary, People’s Voice.

The state government and the Southern Railway had, in 50-50 partnership, agreed to build the overbridge. While the Railways took up work of the top part of the bridge that falls over the CTH road, the state government was supposed to construct the side part of the overbridge.

According to Railway sources, the tender is going to be raised in the coming week for the work. “The contract will be handed over to the cheapest bidder but we will be able to begin work only after three months as there is soil testing, and other processes to be followed,” said an official from the construction department.

The collector of Tiruvallur, E Sundaravalli, said the land acquisition process has commenced. “The notification for section 15 (2) of the land Acquisition Act has been sent to the government for approval. Once that is received the next process would begin, as notified by the District Revenue Officer,” she said.