The Hindu : Front Page : Foot over bridge to be linked to MRTS station

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Friday, Jun 12, 2009
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Foot over bridge to be linked to MRTS station

Deepa H Ramakrishnan and R.Srikanth

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

HELPING COMMUTERS: The foot over bridge on Rajiv Gandhi Salai that will be linked to Thiruvanmiyur station.

CHENNAI: Work on connecting the foot over bridge (FOB) near the Tidel Park on Rajiv Gandhi Salai to the Thiruvanmiyur MRTS (Mass Rapid Transit System) station will commence in a couple of days.

Sources in Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), which is in charge of operations and maintenance of the road, said the company had received approval from the railways.

An official of Metropolitan Transport Project (MTP), the executing agency of MRTS, said apart from this, the TNRDC proposed to connect afoot over bridge on Rajiv Gandhi Salai to the Indira Nagar station.

A comprehensive feasibility study on the location of the facilities had been completed and sanctions from the MTP accorded for the projects, he added. The TNRDC also obtained consent for constructing a foot over bridge and connecting it to Kasturba Nagar station.

Fabrication work to extend the foot over bridge near Tidel Park to the Thiruvanmiyur station is on. Piling work would commence shortly. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.6 lakh. This would facilitate easy and faster access to the station for MRTS users coming from the Tidel Park side. At present, they have to take the foot over bridge, go down the staircase and then walk their way to the station. The project is expected to be completed in 45 days.

Pavithra Srinivasan, who works in a company near Tidel Park, said she preferred to cross the road rather than take the foot over bridge, because it does not directly lead to the station. “Once inside the station, if the elevators are not functioning, we need to take a staircase again to reach the platform.”

Many of the 14 foot over bridges on Rajiv Gandhi Salai are not popular among pedestrians. “We plan to request the Commissioner of Police to post more police personnel to ensure that people use them,” a senior TNRDC official said.

A foot over bridge near YMCA Boys Town is expected to be completed shortly.

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