Durai Vaiko urges Railway Minister to expedite bridge construction near Fort Station

With the construction of the overbridge near the Fort Station in the city progressing at a snail’s pace, Tiruchi Member of Parliament Durai Vaiko has sought the intervention of the Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, to expedite the project.

Mr. Durai Vaiko, who called on the Minister in New Delhi on Friday, pointed out that the work that began in March 2024 should have been completed by now, but had been dragging on.

The new bridge was being built jointly by the Indian Railways and the Tiruchi Corporation. While the Railways will build the structure on its portion (above the railway lines on the Tiruchi-Karur section), the Corporation will build the approach roads on either side of the railway line at a cost of ₹34.10 crore. The old British-built narrow bridge was demolished to make way for the new one.

In a representation to the Railway Minister, Mr. Durai Vaiko said that there was some delay in the demolition of the old bridge. Now, the pace of the work had slackened again. There was delay in procurement of steel from SAIL for the next stage of construction. However, SAIL authorities attributed the delay to the contractor not clearing the pending dues.

“I requested the Minister to make enquiries and issue appropriate directions to ensure that the work was not delayed due to the continued indifference of the contractor,” Mr. Durai Vaiko said.

The overbridge is in the heart of the city. With the arterial road linking the Salai Road and the Main Guard Gate area remaining closed to vehicular traffic to facilitate the construction work, all vehicles had to take a detour, he pointed out.

The new bridge near the Fort Station was sanctioned after the narrow old bridge, built in 1876, had turned weak and a portion of its retaining wall on the eastern side of the approach road caved in during heavy rain in July 2020.