City residents miffed over slow pace of overbridge work near Fort Railway Station

Miffed over the prolonged closure of the arterial Fort Station Road to facilitate the construction of the overbridge near the Fort Railway Station, city residents and bus operators have sought urgent steps to expedite the project.

Construction work began in March 2024 and should have been completed by now. But it has been dragging on, much to the chagrin of the residents. With the road being closed for almost two years now, the daily commute had become an ordeal for many city residents as vehicles have take a detour via the narrow Thennur High Road or the Karur Bypass and the Chathiram Bus Stand.

Both the Thennur High Road and the Karur Bypass had been facing severe traffic congestion, especially during the peak hours. The Thennur overbridge is in need of urgent repairs due to the gaps in expansion joints and motorists face a risky ride due to the heavy traffic, residents complain.

“The Thennur Road is witnessing severe congestion right from Puthur up to the Ramakrishna Junction due to the traffic diversions. It is scary to ride a two-wheeler on the narrow Thennur overbridge these days,” said N. Jamaluddin, a resident of Anna Nagar.

“The overbridge should be completed at the earliest as both passengers and bus operators are facing hardship. The closure of the road has triggered a lot of traffic issues,” said D.R. Dharmaraj, Secretary, Tiruchi District Bus Operators Association.

He said that buses headed to Chathiram Bus Stand via Main Guard Gate now have to take a detour via the Anna Statue in Chinthamani to reach the satellite bus stand. “Passengers have been deprived of direct connectivity to the Main Guard Gate area andt hey have to alight at Chathiram Bus Stand and take another bus stand to reach Main Guard Gate or Singarathope. Similarly, passengers to Thillai Nagar and Woraiyur from Mainguard Gate/Singarathope have to take two buses,” he pointed out pressing for the expeditious completion of the new bridge.

The new bridge near the Fort Railway Station in the city is being built jointly by the Railways and the Tiruchi Corporation. It was sanctioned after the narrow old bridge, built in 1876, had turned weak and a portion of its retaining wall on the eastern side of the approach road caved in during heavy rain in July 2020.

While the Railways are building the main bridge structure on its portion (above the railway lines on the Tiruchi-Karur section), the Corporation is engaged in building the approach roads on either side of the railway line at a cost of ₹34.10 crore. The old British-built narrow bridge was demolished to make way for the new one.

When contacted, a senior Railway official supervising the work, said although there were some delay in procuring the high grade steel required for the project, the issue had been sorted out now. “Work is under way on the sub structure now; the materials for the super structure have arrived. We expect to complete the work by April or latest by May,” the officer said.