Moolakadai flyover by March.

After a lull, the highways department has expedited the construction of a flyover at the Moolakadai junction in north Chennai.

It has now set a fresh deadline of March 2015 for completing the four-lane flyover.

The Rs. 49.55-crore work at the intersection of Madhavaram High Road and GNT Road, which began in 2011, had been put on hold for a few months due to various issues at the site, including land acquisition, diversion of traffic and shifting of utilities. A slight change in design was also necessitated to work around water mains.

Of the 18 deck slabs (the top portion) of the flyover, two have been completed and work is under way on four others. The department had imposed a fine of Rs. 1.2 crore on the contractor for the delay in construction.

This delay has only caused a lot of hardship to motorists and pedestrians, said C. Govindarajulu, a resident of Perambur who passes the junction frequently.

'The work has begun in right earnest and seems to have speeded up. The only problem is that the roads on the sides of the flyover are in a bad shape and matters are only worsened with the rain. If they are laid and the potholes filled up, it would ease congestion during peak hours,' he said.


THE HINDU