Tiruchi Corporation floats tender for new ROB on Salai Road

Tiruchi Corp. floats tender to demolish & reconstruct 157-yr-old ROB near Fort railway station. ₹72cr project to widen carriageway & improve traffic. Reconstruction to begin once contractor identified, expected to be completed in a year. Residents urge expediting incomplete road works.

Tiruchi Corporation has floated a tender to demolish and reconstruct the narrow road overbridge (ROB) near Fort railway station on Salai Road in the city.

The 157-year-old British-era bridge, also called Maris Theatre ROB, will be demolished as it has weakened and suffered extensive damage during monsoons in recent years. A major portion of the approach roads caved in during July 2020.

The State government has granted administrative sanction for reconstruction of the bridge, and as per an agreement between Corporation and Southern Railway, the civic body will reconstruct the approach roads on Salai Road end and the Main guard gate end at ₹34.10 crore. The main bridge structure above the railway line will be constructed by the railways, and a separate sum will be sanctioned by the railways for the work. The project is estimated to cost about ₹72 crore.

“Work to demolish and reconstruct the bridge will begin once a suitable contractor is identified and we expect to complete the work within a year,” said a senior Corporation official.

According to Corporation officials, the carriageway of the new approach roads will get an additional two metre in width by utilising the available space. Prior to the launch of work, a traffic diversion plan will be decided by stakeholders.

Rebuilding the ROB, situated across the track connecting commercial streets, and archaeological and religious places of interest around Main Guard Gate, is among the long-awaited projects in the city. The demand to replace the bridge has been persistently raised since 2017 due to the ageing structure.

Meanwhile, a section of residents has suggested that the civic body expedite the incomplete road works as closure of the bridge will worsen the traffic woes.