Chennai: Travelers struggling to cross the GST road near the Alandur Metro train station can have a break once a bridge is built on the foot.
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) the contract for the construction of a pedestrian bridge near the station has just been awarded. “It is estimated that the work will cost around R6 crore and will start soon.” But it can take between six and eight months for the job to end, “said one official.
The bridge will have escalators and elevators for the comfort of travelers. Every day, almost 2,000 people travel through this station, which was opened as part of the Koyambedu-Alandur stretch almost three years ago.
Although the Metro Rail of Chennai had planned the metro project in late 2016, there were no buyers. The tender was issued for the first time in November 2016, but the authorities were not happy with the response and again called for tender in early 2017, authorities said.
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“We planned to complete the entire project in 2017, but we wanted more bidders to participate and, therefore, we decided to change the bidding for the second time,” said one source.
Travelers have complained again and again about how difficult and dangerous it is to cross the GST road during peak hours.
Although there is a subway, it is not very close to the station. Also, a traveler for the first time may not even know about the installation, a traveler said. Currently, only Koyambedu and Ashok Nagar metro stations have pedestrian bridges.
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