The Rs 262-crore Perungalathur road overbridge (ROB) has been fully opened to traffic after nearly 26 years, but the eastern arm connecting Sadanandapuram and Nedunkundram has raised safety concerns because it lacks functioning streetlights and leads into a narrow, congested road.
Workers removed barricades at the eastern end on Sunday, allowing vehicles to use the Nedunkundram route. The opening took place without a formal announcement. The eastern arm is the fourth and final section of the overbridge, which connects Perungalathur, Peerkankaranai, Sadanandapuram, Nedunkundram, Vandalur and Tambaram through an oval-shaped roundabout.
While the new connection has improved access for motorists, the absence of streetlights leaves the stretch dark after sunset. Mahendra Boopathi, president of the Perungalathur Peerkankaranai Residents Welfare Association, said travelling on the road without lighting was unsafe. He also said crocodiles, Indian rock pythons and cobras had been spotted in Sadanandapuram and Nedunkundram, with Forest Department personnel capturing the animals on several occasions.
Boopathi said the road linking the ROB to the Sadanandapuram-Nedunkundram stretch remained narrow because the required forest land had not been fully acquired. This has contributed to congestion near the exit, while proper service roads are still pending. He called for coordination between the Highways and Forest departments to address the problems and make the route safer for motorists.
The ROB was planned to reduce congestion on the Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway near railway level crossing LC 32, close to Perungalathur railway station. The Highways department and railway administration had proposed permanently closing the crossing and constructing an overbridge with a roundabout. An initial allocation of Rs 86 crore was made in 2000, but progress remained slow.
The railway administration permanently closed LC 32 in 2015 and began related works. The project was revised in 2018, raising the estimated cost to Rs 235 crore. Land acquisition disputes and the COVID-19 lockdown caused further delays before construction gathered pace in 2021.
The first arm opened to one-way traffic in September 2022. The section crossing the railway tracks and connecting Perungalathur with Kamaraj High Road opened in June 2023, while the third arm on the Tambaram-Chengalpattu route opened on August 1, 2024.
The final arm was delayed by the relocation of an electricity substation and the need for forest clearance. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board was allotted land at Netaji Nagar in New Perungalathur for a new substation, with the National Highways Authority of India funding its construction. The eastern arm was completed after the existing facility was relocated and has now been opened to traffic.
