Construction of Fort Station Road RoB drags on

Two years have passed since the start of work on rebuilding the overbridge on Fort Station Road in the city, but the work is still dragging on.

The road connecting Salai Road with Main Guard Gate has been one of the important roads in the city. While the Southern Railway is constructing the overbridge over the railway tracks, the Tiruchi Corporation is engaged in building of the approach roads.

Since the old bridge was more than 150 years old, the officials of the Corporation and the Southern Railway jointly decided to rebuild the bridge and the approach roads. As per the agreement, the Corporation will build the approach roads at a cost of ₹34.10 crore. The portion of the bridge above the railway line will be widened and reconstructed by the Southern Railway.

To facilitate the construction work, the Corporation had closed the road in November 2023. It subsequently began building the approach roads. Vehicles heading towards Main Guard Gate and Salai Road were diverted via Karur Bypass Road. Almost a year later, the old RoB was dismantled. It was stated that the RoB would be ready by December 2025.

However, the work makes slow progress. As the overbridge over the railway line is yet to be built, the Corporation could not carry out the remaining work on building the approach roads. As the commuters were sore over the delay in the project, Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko visited the construction site a few weeks ago and assured that he would discuss the issue with the officials. The work is yet to gain momentum.

When contacted, a senior official of the Corporation told The Hindu that a major portion of the civic body’s work had already been completed. Linking of approach roads from the western and eastern arms alone was pending. It could be taken up only after the completion of the main RoB work. It would be completed within three months from the completion of it.

Mr. Durai Vaiko said he was closely monitoring the progress of it and held a discussion with the railway officials. He would visit the site again in a few days to take stock of the situation along with the officials, he added.