Chennai: Woes of pedestrians at Alandur metro station, who are in a fix every time they need to cross the Grand Southern Trunk Road may soon disappear as tenders floated by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) for a foot over bridge (FOB) with escalator and lifts across the metro station may soon get finalised.
According to senior officials, the work was supposed to have been finished by now as it was decided initially that National Highways Department will undertake the work for construction of FOB, but it was later decided that CMRL will carry it out.
“State government will be funding the project, as of now. It should not take long before the tender is finalized and the FOB is built,” a senior official told DC.
Alandur metro station had turned to be a boon for commuters in the area but it was difficult for many to access the MTC bus stop on the opposite side.
Commuters coming out of the Alandur metro station, or those at Jyothi theater and Asarghana bus stops either cross the GST road by jumping over the divider or walking a long distance.
Dividers are an easy choice because a part of the divider does not have grills but it is risky. The junction does not have a signal, making it an accident-prone area.
“Many people cross the road for buses or the metro by jumping across are at risk of being hit by vehicles. I witness accidents every now and then,” Vinoth Kumar, an auto driver outside the Alandur metro, said. The FOB has been in demand at Alandur metro station by commuters, since it was started in 2015, due to the lack of a safe and convenient means to cross the road.
Ragini S, a daily commuter, said, “Auto drivers ask for extra charges here due to lack of crossing and shelling out so much daily is not possible. As of now, even women use the divider to cross the road. A foot overbridge will solve these problems.”
