Chennai: After being stuck for nearly three years, work on the ₹226-crore Ganesapuram flyover at Vyasarpadi is set to resume this weekend. A new traffic diversion plan by the police will come into force soon, making vehicles take a roundabout route to cross the Vyasarpadi railway tracks instead of the existing subway, which will be used by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to carry out construction work.
Inspection and Preparations
A week after GCC commissioner G S Sameeran inspected the project, GCC deputy commissioner (works) S Saravanan visited the spot on Wednesday and reviewed the arrangements. “We need the subway space to bring in the girders. Traffic police will implement the diversion plan. The Southern Railway has given a nod to transport its 680-tonne steel girder from Pudukottai by August. The 18m bow-string girder is a single-piece structure. Railways has said the fabrication work was over, but they have only completed two of the four scheduled inspections,” he said.
GCC's Pending Work
On its part, GCC is yet to place five decks. “The decks have been held back as we need space to bring in the girder and place it. Once that’s done, we will finish our work,” the deputy commissioner told TOI.
Drainage and Flooding Issues
The Ganesapuram area of Vyasarpadi usually faces neck-deep water during monsoon, further accelerated as all the drain channels heading to Otteri Nullah get blocked or damaged because of the flyover. The Ganesapuram subway submerges too. To tackle this, GCC is building two 2.4 lakh-litre sumps. “Once the flyover is over, we will build a fresh 1.8km long drain to Otteri Nullah,” said Saravanan.
Project Delays and Timeline
Started in January 2023, the project faced delays due to encroachments, traffic diversions, line approval delay from railways, and the girders themselves not coming in. Only about 60% of the work is over, and the project has missed multiple deadlines. “We want to open the flyover before the north-east monsoon,” said Saravanan.
