New high-level bridge near Villianur open to traffic

The construction of the high-level bridge over the Sankaraparani River at Ariyapalayam near Villianur has been completed.

The bridge was opened to traffic by Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan and Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Monday evening. Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Speaker R. Selvam and Minister for Agriculture C. Djeacoumar were present.

The project, estimated at ₹75.52 crore with financial assistance from the Union Government, includes strengthening and widening of around 11-km stretch from M.N. Kuppam to Indira Gandhi square on the Puducherry-Villupuram Road, apart from construction of the high-level bridge.

The foundation stone for the project was laid on February 11, 2022.

“The high-level bridge is 365-metre-long and 18-metre-wide. It is located adjacent to the high-level bridge, that has become a traffic bottleneck in the city’s suburbs, over the Sankaraparani River. The completed bridge has four lanes as against the existing two-lane bridge, which is used by more than 5,000 vehicles every day,” said an official.

With the new bridge, vehicle load would reduce significantly, removing the bottleneck. It would also ease traffic, facilitating faster commute to Ariyur and areas beyond, added the official.

As part of the project, the stretch was strengthened at Vadamangalam, Ariyapalayam, Villianur, Sulthanpet, Arumparthapuram, Moolalulam, Jaya Nagar, Kamban Nagar, Reddiyarpalayam and Jawahar Nagar. The widened road is equipped with bus-shelters, road safety sign boards and markings.

Published - October 28, 2024 11:36 pm IST