Work has begun on a ₹14-crore enclosed foot-overbridge on Velachery Main Road in Chennai, giving commuters a planned safer crossing near the Velachery MRTS station and Nalli Silks after the project was delayed for a year.
The bridge is being built by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan wing of the state highways department. It will connect the east and west sides of Velachery Main Road, also known as 100-Ft Road, where commuters currently walk about 800 metres to find a crossing or cross the road through gaps in traffic and over the median.
Officials said the structure would be fully enclosed and fitted with escalators, lifts and gently inclined staircases. The design is intended to improve access for elderly people, children and persons with disabilities. The location is also near a school and several commercial establishments, increasing pedestrian movement around the junction.
The project was delayed after bidders quoted rates higher than the amount set in the tender, according to officials. The proposal was subsequently placed before the Commissionerate of Tenders for approval, holding up the start of construction. Palanivel, chief engineer of the state highways department, said the delay was caused by pending approval from other departments.
The need for a grade-separated pedestrian crossing has been linked to continuing traffic violations in the area. A traffic police officer posted near the junction said wrong-side driving, jaywalking and signal jumping continued despite measures such as median barricading, deployment of personnel and periodic removal of encroachments.
The officer said better coordination between the highways department and other agencies, along with greater civic discipline, was needed to prevent such violations. The remarks point to the operational challenge beyond construction: a foot-overbridge can provide a designated crossing, but its use will depend on how easily commuters can reach it and whether road traffic is managed around its approaches.
Residents said the crossing was needed because students and local residents regularly negotiate the busy road. Geetha Ganesh, secretary of the AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association in Velachery, said the bridge would provide a much-needed safe link between the two sides of the neighbourhood. She also said accidents had occurred at the junction.
The enclosed design and inclusion of lifts and escalators are intended to address some of the barriers that can make conventional foot-overbridges difficult to use. The project’s location near a mass-transit station means the facility will serve people making short connections between the MRTS, surrounding streets, schools and businesses.
The state highways department expects construction to be completed by the end of this year. The next public milestone is the delivery of the foot-overbridge and the opening of its lifts, escalators and stairways for commuter use.
