[PlanTaleks]

The Highways Department has asked consultants preparing project reports for the proposed grade separators at Kaliamman Koil Street at Koyambedu and Thiruvanmiyur to take a fresh look at specific needs at the locations and submit new proposals.

A high-level committee comprising senior officials has asked the Bangalore-based consultant to study the possibility of constructing a ‘Y’ pedestrian subway near the entry and exit points to the Chennai Moffusil bus terminus in Koyambedu.

The design of the grade separator must be such that traffic on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai would not be disturbed while buses enter and leave the terminus. The entry and exit at the MTC depot must also be studied and the possibility of providing a flyover be looked at.

S. Arumainathan, president of Virugambakkam Residents Welfare Association said that with the presence of the markets, CMBT and MTC terminus, several activities took place in the area and that the consultant must take them all into consideration. Even last week, there was a fatal accident near the petrol bunk on Kaliamman Koil Street. There are 22 schools in the area. Hundreds of children and parents use the road and the Koyambedu junction. During the construction of the flyover itself, the Chennai Corporation must take up the widening of the road,” he said.

Every morning hundreds of traders flock to the vegetable, fruit and flower markets to purchased goods. Similarly, heavy vehicles carrying in consignments to the markets are there early in the day. The junction witnesses over one lakh vehicles and has traffic proceeding in four directions — Maduravoyal and Nerkundram; Anna Nagar, Thirumangalam and Padi; Vadapalani, Saligramam and Ashok Nagar; and Ekkatuthangal and Guindy.

As far as the Thiruvanmiyur junction is concerned, over 1.10 lakh vehicles cross it everyday and 40 per cent of this traffic does not have an origin or destination in the project area.

Sources in the Highways Department said the consultant had suggested segregating through traffic from the local and slow traffic.

“This would reduce accidents. Service lanes would be provided. They have suggested that in the long run, with the city expanding till Mamallapuram, it would be sensible to take the ECR traffic beyond the RTO office,” said a source. K. Thangam, a resident of Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur suggested that perhaps one arm of the flyover could be taken to the SRP Tools intersection flyover so that vehicles could avoid the Tidel park junction.

An engineer said that there could be two flyovers at the Thiruvanmiyur junction. One should start from the West Avenue side and land near the MTC bus terminus junction.

“The other one should take off from the Jayanthi theatre side and land just before Lattice Bridge. If you are to take the ECR Road side flyover beyond the RTO, then it needs to be at the same height as it has to cross two temples. That could prove to be a costly affair. If the department is willing to spend on land acquisition and constructionof a huge structure, it could look at taking the flyover to beyond the RTO office junction,” he said.

Source: The Hindu