Melapudur foot overbridge project shelved

Tiruchi Corporation shelves foot overbridge plan near Melapudur subway due to proposed major infrastructure projects in city.

Tiruchi Corporation’s plan to establish a pedestrian foot overbridge near the Melapudur subway to ease traffic congestion near the school zone has been shelved in view of the proposed major infrastructure projects in the city.

The Melapudur Main Road serves as a major access point for commuters heading to various parts of the city. As many educational institutions and worship places are situated around the area, traffic snarls occur throughout the day, especially during peak hours.

To decongest the area, the Corporation, in its 2022-23 budget, revived the long-pending project to construct a foot overbridge near Melapudur. Although no financial allocation was made for the project, the civic body proposed to seek funds from the State government to execute the project, but no progress has been made.

According to a senior Corporation official, the footbridge project has been shelved owing to the proposed metro rail and elevated corridor projects in the city.

Earlier, the project was proposed in 2015 at an estimated cost of about ₹99.50 lakh, but it could not take off due to unforeseen challenges. Corporation first made a similar proposal in 2008, but it was also abandoned later.

The proposal was initially mooted to meet the much-felt need to regulate vehicular and pedestrian movement as several students access the roads.

The Melapudur road becomes chaotic, with vehicles coming from different directions and pedestrians trying to cross the roads. The pedestrians and students have to wait patiently to cross the road as one cannot predict from which direction vehicles will approach. Encroachments and on-road parking also add to the woes.