Chennai: People in T Nagar, Nolambur, Vyasarpadi and Kodungaiyur are grappling with endless traffic jams, sewage overflows, loss of business, long power cuts, and endless detours via narrow lanes — all thanks to flyover projects stuck in limbo for more than two years.
Residents of more than 1,000 houses in 25 lanes in T Nagar are trapped because Usman Road has been closed for a year and a half because construction of the ₹130-crore flyover connecting Anna Salai with Panagal Park is delayed. “Even for emergencies, ambulances cannot come into our street. Instead, we need to take a narrow lane to exit via Duraisamy subway. Cars cannot enter our lane either,” said secretary of T Nagar Resident Welfare Association, B Kannan, who lives on Rameshwaram Street. GCC has also damaged power lines and Metrowater pipes during the flyover construction. “There’s excessive reverse flow of sewage in our restrooms, and we even have seven to eight hours of power cut,” added Kannan.
This project, with a Dec 2024 deadline, is only 70% done. GCC is facing alignment issues in connecting the new 1.2 km flyover from CIT Nagar with the existing Usman Road flyover at Ranganathan Street. This delay has caused 2 km detours, pushing at least 10,000 vehicles an hour to Panagal Park, Venkatnarayana Road, Thandapani Street, and Burkit Road to reach Anna Salai and has affected business in the area.
Delays in twin flyover works have turned some North Chennai areas into a warzone. Patients struggle to attend a GCC dialysis centre at Vyasarpadi in a street adjoining Ganeshapuram Main Road as the ₹226-crore Vyasarpadi-Pulianthope flyover project, that’s 0.6 km long, is stuck with just 40% work done in two years. The entire road is dug up, with barely five workers at the spot. Businesses said they pay high rents but get no customers, as the area has been cordoned off.
GCC officials said seven out of 36 piles inside railway land are yet to be placed. “We have paid ₹9 crore as value and supervision charges to railways, and still, there’s a delay in getting caution orders, speed restrictions, and line blocks from them,” said an official.
Since GCC has also damaged the pavements and walkways, women, children, and the elderly are forced to walk in a work-site area without barricading. “A small slip would cost our lives,” said 38-year-old Swathy S, who was walking with her child in the dug-up subway beneath railway tracks.
The ₹96-crore Korukkupet-Kodungaiyur flyover project is stuck for two years as railways is yet to place girders on the piles above the track. As a result, cars take a 2km detour via Basin Bridge. GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said delays were due to slow progress in works above railway tracks. “We will coordinate with railways and speed up the work. All flyovers will be finished this year,” he said.
Southern Railway’s Chennai Divisional Railway Manager Vishwanath Eerya, however, denied any delays. “All works in our railway area are as per the timeline. We have given all permissions to GCC,” he told TOI.
Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar said councillors were facing backlash because of delays caused by railways.