Foot over bridge work nears completion at Aminjikarai

Work to construct a foot over bridge (FOB) across Poonamallee High Road near a popular mall at Aminjikarai at a cost of ₹15.25 crore is nearing completion. The 54.15-metre-long, 5.08-metre-wide facility will allow the safe passage of pedestrians at that junction.

On completion, the FOB will have two sets of staircases, two elevators, and four escalators (two that go up and two that go down). “The civil work has been completed. We have installed all the machinery and at present, testing is under way,” said sources in the Highways Department.

Selvaraj Ramakrishnan, a resident of Anna Nagar, who frequents that junction, said that he often sees schoolchildren cross the road in the mornings. “Since there is a mall nearby, many pedestrians have to wait to get to the other side. If the bridge is opened soon, it would help motorists use the road without having to stop for people on foot,” he pointed out.

Ward 102 Councillor K. Rani said that the FOB has been a long-pending demand of local residents. “Many schools and hospitals are located near Nelson Manickam Road, so people from the Anna Nagar side will find it very useful once opened. A lot of accidents happen involving pedestrians, so I urge that the Highways Department open it soon,” she said.

A resident of Aminjikarai, who did not want to be named, said a Tasmac shop near the FOB was causing enough trouble for pedestrians already. “You can see men seated in the space beneath the staircases since the structure has been constructed. The shop should be removed from there; otherwise, it would be like many other FOBs with drunk people populating it at all times of the day.” Ms. Rani said that she had not received any complaints about the said Tasmac shop from residents. “I had taken steps to remove another shop nearby, as there were complaints about it,” she added.