Foot overbridge at Nelson Manickam Road-P.H. Road junction to be ready in four months

Foot overbridge at Nelson Manickam Road-P.H. Road junction to be ready in four months

The foot overbridge (FOB) at the junction of Nelson Manickam Road and Poonamallee High Road will be ready for use in four months’ time.

One side of the steel box structure, called the gangway portion, from the Aminjikarai side to Koyambedu, up to the median, was launched on Saturday (May 10, 2025) night using a crane with a 200 tonne capacity.

The gangway comes in two sections, and the portion from the Koyambedu to Aminjikarai side will be lifted and placed atop the girders next week. Once both sections are in place, construction will begin. Sheets will form the base, and cement concrete will be laid over them. The final layer will be tiles, designed with pedestrian comfort in mind. The roof will be constructed last.

The FOB will have staircases on either side and two pairs of escalators. This pedestrian facility, designed to allow hundreds of people to cross the busy thoroughfare, will be 5 metres wide, 45 metres long, and have a clearance of 5.7 metres from ground level to allow large vehicles.

Work on the ₹15.5-crore facility began in February 2024 but had to be put on hold due to two legal cases. In one of the cases, objection was raised by a person claiming that the construction obstructed his view. The cases had to be settled, and additionally, the presence of clay soil led to the construction requiring 70 piles. Footings from the foundation of an old hotel also had to be removed, explained a source in the Highways Department.

It is estimated that around 1,300 pedestrians per hour cross the six-lane road during rush hour. The highest peak hour passenger car unit witnessed in the stretch is over 22,800, and over 1.25 lakh vehicles use the road every day.