Slow progress in construction of bypass road irks residents, motorists

Slow progress in construction of bypass road irks residents, motorists

The slow progress in the construction of the Bypass Road to link the western arm of the flyover on 100-feet Road to the service road near the railway over-bridge at Arumparthapuram has been causing considerable hardship to residents and motorists. 

While earthwork is in progress on the stretch from the western arm of the flyover, slush formation after the recent spell of rains has hindered the normal pace of work, PWD sources said.

The need for a bypass road was felt for long, with the arterial Villupuram Road that runs through the city getting heavily congested on the stretch from Moolakulam to Indira Gandhi Square, especially at peak hours.

The bypass road project was proposed by the Public Works Department in 2010 to keep vehicles from Cuddalore and Villupuram away from the city. It had proposed a bypass road with a width of 100 feet. However, it reduced the width to 75 feet subsequently. The project cost is ₹26 crore with financial assistance from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). 

After a prolonged delay due to various reasons including problems in land acquisition, the construction work began in May this year. Since then, there seems to be little progress, residents said.

According to C. Uzhaganathan, a resident of John Paul Nagar, “Navigation has become tough and the formation of slush following the recent rains makes it dangerous to drive on the stretch to Natesan Nagar. The road work is being executed in phases on the entire stretch and it would be better if the authorities take steps to complete the work at the earliest.”

According to Ravi, a mechanic, “The formation of the bypass road should have been undertaken simultaneously along with the flyover on the 100-feet Road. If not, it should have been completed at least after the flyover was thrown open to the public in 2017. The delay in completing the bypass road has been causing inconvenience to motorists. Residents of John Paul Nagar and surrounding areas have been parking their vehicles below the flyover and walking to their homes since the stretch is full of slush.”