Work on new Egmore bridge begins

Work on new Egmore bridge begins

2-Lane Bridge On Arunachalam Rd To Ease Traffic

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.06.2021

Greater Chennai Corporation began construction of an additional bridge at Arunachalam Road in Egmore across the Cooum River. The 10-metre-wide bridge aims at decongesting vehicular movement along the key road stretch connecting Egmore with Chintadripet.

At present there is only one bridge (formerly known as St Andrew’s bridge) with two lanes off Arunachalam Road. During peak hours, close to 4,000 vehicles use this stretch and as a result it takes at least 10 to 15 minutes to cross the 70-metre long bridge.

Given that most Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses, connecting central and southern parts of the city with north Chennai, use Arunachalam Bridge, the area badly needed an additional bridge, said a senior corporation official, requesting anonymity.

Tenders were floated to construct another two-lane bridge parallel to the existing one at an estimated cost of ₹9.5 crore and bids were finalised in February.

“However, we could not start construction work right away as Covid cases started to increase. Now, foundation work is underway,” the official added.

Authorities clarified that there will be no major traffic diversions during the initial stages of construction but some adjustments might be needed next year when final bridge decks are taken up.

The project is likely to be completed in 18 months.

“We hope the corporation sticks to the timeline proposed. Because roads in Chintadripet are narrow and once lockdown conditions are relaxed, it will be difficult to commute if the project gets delayed as usual,” said Raghupathy, who owns a mobile shop on Gandhi-Irwin Road.

After both the bridges are opened for traffic, the civic body also plans to move the roundtana in front of Ramada Hotel to a centralised point so that vehicles waiting at the traffic signal there will have adequate space on all sides.

DECONGESTING KEY STRETCH: The 10-metre-wide bridge at Arunachalam Road in Egmore across the Cooum is being constructed parallel to the existing one at an estimated ₹9.5 crore