Work on foot overbridge at Nelson Manickam Road junction on Poonamallee High Road to begin soon

Highways Dept. to build FOB near Nelson Manickam Rd. junction on Poonamallee High Rd. to help pedestrians cross safely. Tenders floated, no land acquisition needed. Cost: ₹14.35 cr. Announced in 2022 due to long-pending demand. Will reduce accidents, make travel faster. 1,300 pedestrians cross 6-lane road/hr, 1.25 lakh vehicles/day. FOB also needed near Aminjikarai market. Highways Dept. to build FOB to help pedestrians cross safely, reduce accidents, make travel faster. No land acquisition needed, cost ₹14.35 cr. Announced in 2022 due to long-pending demand. 1,300 pedestrians/hr, 1.25 lakh vehicles/day. FOB also needed near Aminjikarai market.

The Highways Department will soon commence the construction of a foot overbridge (FOB) near the Nelson Manickam Road junction on Poonamallee High Road. The facility, which will help hundreds of people cross the extremely busy road, will have escalators and lifts on either side, Highways Department sources said.

“We expect work to commence by the end of December end or start of January after the monsoon and end in a year. The FOB will help reduce accidents at the spot, since it will help pedestrians cross safely. It will make travel faster on the stretch since motorists will not have to stop for pedestrians to cross,” added the source.

On average, around 1,300 pedestrians cross the six-lane road in an hour during rush hour. The highest peak hour passenger car unit witnessed on the stretch is over 22,800, and over 1.25 lakh vehicles use the road on a daily basis. No land acquisition will be necessary for the FOB, which will cost ₹14.35 crore to construct. Tenders have already been floated.

The facility was announced by the government in 2022 since there was a long-pending demand for a pedestrian walkway at the spot. Traffic pours in from several sides at the spot, including the flyover from Anna Nagar. There is also a free left turn to Nelson Manickam Road, making crossing very difficult, a traffic expert said.

Sekar, a resident of Aminjikarai, said since the area was very a busy one, with hundreds of commercial establishments, an FOB was very necessary. A subway or an FOB will also help near Aminjikarai market, where pedestrians move around in large numbers, he added.