Chaos reigned on OMR on Tuesday as the U-shaped flyover at TIDEL Park junction was thrown open to the public, with the flawed design leading to more than 30-minute delays for motorists crossing the one-km stretch between Thiruvanmiyur railway station and the SRP Tools Junction.
Several frustrated commuters were seen forcefully removing barricades and clearing the space for two-wheelers, before police scrapped the restrictions and reverted to the old system. The flyover was meant to eliminate the signal at TIDEL Park and ensure uninterrupted flow of traffic on the stretch from SRP Tools to Madhya Kailash.
Under the new plan, vehicles going from Thiruvanmiyur towards Madhya Kailash should turn left, use the flyover, and merge onto OMR. However, a bus and auto stand at the turn and the short 100-metre gap before the ascent created bottlenecks. Similarly, Thoraipakkam-bound motorists heading to Thiruvanmiyur should now take a one-km detour via the old U-bridge, forcing many to drive on the wrong side to save time.
The ₹89.6 crore flyover, inaugurated by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and highways minister E V Velu, follows the ₹18.5 crore U-bridge opened in Nov 2023 on the same stretch.
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