After a decade, road over bridge opened to public in Tiruvannamalai

New ₹30-crore road overbridge in Polur town near Tiruvannamalai replaces railway level crossing, easing traffic and connectivity.

More than a decade after the work to construct it commenced, the ₹30-crore road overbridge (ROB) that replaces the manned railway level Crossing (LC:80) at Polur town near Tiruvannamalai has been opened to members of the public.

Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu inaugurated the bridge on Thursday in the presence of Collector K. Tharpagaraj and Tiruvannamalai MP C.N. Annadurai.

“The new bridge has ended a detour of 8-10 km for reaching both sides of Polur town, divided by a railway line. It [the facility] will facilitate easy movement of school vans, ambulances and government buses,” N. Selvam, a motorist, said.

After receiving the approval for construction in April 2013, the new bridge has been jointly built by Southern Railway and the State Highways on a 50:50 funding basis.

The two-lane bridge is 700-metres-long and 12-metres-wide. It also has tiled footpaths with steel hand railings. Staircases to reach the railway station from the bridge are also available.

Highways officials said that work on the railway track, including laying of concrete decks and erecting pillars, was done by the Railways itself to ensure that train services were not disrupted. Work on the bridge’s ramp and approach roads was carried out by the State Highways.

Adequate land has been acquired to lay service lanes. Land acquisition has delayed completion of the work, and escalated the total project cost from ₹17.37 crore (2019) to ₹30 crore (2025).