Park near Kalaignar Arivalayam in Tiruchi likely to be ready next month

Construction of a park near the Kalaignar Arivalayam along the Karur Bypass overbridge, undertaken by the Tiruchi Corporation, is likely to be completed by June

Construction of a park near the Kalaignar Arivalayam along the Karur Bypass overbridge, undertaken by the Tiruchi Corporation, is likely to be completed by June.

The overbridge, connecting the Tiruchi-Karur National Highway (NH) and the Shastri Road-Salai Road intersection, is a major entry point to core city areas for vehicles from western districts. An open space abutting the eastern side on the Kalaignar Arivalayam end of the overbridge was inaccessible and had become a haven for anti-social elements.

In order to make better use of the space, the civic body took up the work to develop a public park with amenities at an estimate of ₹58 lakh sanctioned from the General Funds 2023-24. The tender for the project was floated in February and the work began last month because of challenges in removing encroachments.

The park will have an open-air gym, a play area for children, and walking tracks with vintage lights and decorative sculptures. In addition, a five-foot-wide pedestrian platform will be provided as part of the beautification plan.

The civic body has cleared a few encroachments on the stretch. Work on levelling the area and constructing a retaining wall on the space are under way. “Once the area is levelled, a gym and play equipment will be installed in the open space. It has been decided to complete the work within two months,” said a senior Corporation official.

The retaining walls of the bridge will be painted and damaged pavements will be repaired. The existing steel railings will be removed and safety barricades installed as a barrier to safeguard the open space from vehicular movement, the official added.