Construction Work for Porur Flyover Takes Off

The project is to resume in September and be completed within a year. The ambitious flyover will be a 4-laned structure that is 475 m long and 17.2 m wide.

Porur, a crucial industrial suburb in the city of Chennai, has been affected by traffic woes at its junction during peak hours. The rush hour traffic has become a hassle, mainly for pedestrians, who either wait long hours for the traffic to subside or run across the broad and dangerous Poonamallee Road. This, not only leads to traffic delays but also leads to accidents that may cause physical disabilities or even death.

Traffic Woes of Residents and Motorists

Initiated in 2010, construction of the Porur Flyover had been moving at snail’s pace and came to a standstill after the erection of several columns. Residents of areas such as Porur, Kundrathur, and Valasaravakkam are bombarded with the constant pile-up of vehicles day in and day out, with elevated traffic levels during peak hours.

The Porur Junction is a crucial intersection that connects places such as Guindy, Meenambakkam, and Tambaram. There is a continuous stream of traffic from Arcot Road and Mount Poonamallee Road. Thus, motorists have to bear the brunt of traffic congestion for as long as 30 to 45 minutes. A simple U-turn requires you to drive up to the next junction. The junction has also become accident-prone due to the lack of proper infrastructure. With vehicular volume increasing by the day, the construction of the flyover needs to take shape as soon as possible.

Reasons for the Delay in Construction

The Mount Poonamallee Road - Arcot Salai Junction houses several pipelines, carrying drinking water, beneath its surface. Initially, work on the flyover was stalled to shift the pipeline. Despite several tenders, they were unable to find a suitable contractor to relay the pipeline and complete the job. Also, the pipe was 1.5m wide, which could have led to a major disruption in water supply.

Escalated costs have also played a role in delaying the already troubled project. With about 10% of the work completed, the original contractors had quit the project due to the increase in costs. New tenders failed to attract contractors, with some quoting high margins to take it up.

Changes Being Implemented to Revive the Project

The difficulty in shifting the pipeline has called for a revised design of the flyover such that there would be no disturbance to the water supply and the pipeline remains as it is. The foundation will be laid on either side of the pipeline rather than straight. This design requires more raw materials and thus will cost more. An earlier change in design incorporated the construction of single columns instead of double to avoid any unwarranted damage underground.

The initial cost of the project was approximately 35 crores. The design changes have increased the cost of construction to about 50 crores. The Highway department has been working on constructing storm drains and service lanes to ease the flow of traffic. The tender for the flyover has been settled with a new contractor taking the reins.

After being on the back burner for several years, the flyover will finally see the light of day. A fresh tender, new contractor, improved funding, and better design will accelerate the construction of this long-awaited flyover. With the timeline for completion projected to be about a year, residents and motorists will finally be able to breathe easy.