Ganesapuram Flyover in Vyasarpadi Stuck at 30% Completion, Residents Demand Urgent Action

The flyover work at Ganesapuram in Vyasarpadi inaugurated in January 2023 for decongesting and connecting the North Chennai areas is almost at a standstill, with a mere 30% progress in the last 18 months.

The idea is to connect the congested areas of Washermenpet, Tondiarpet, and Vyasarpadi. There was no question of completing the project in two years; residents suggest that the project may not be complete even by June 2025, by which time it will be grossly delayed. Bad planning and a lack of cooperation between various departments of the State Government have been widely blamed for the slow progress of complaints by commuters and locals.

The service roads associated with the still unfinished structure have also been ignored and turned into gaping potholes, hazardous for moving vehicles and pedestrians alike. Residents say the decaying condition of the adjacent service roads is becoming an increasing threat to vehicles and pedestrians. They have been making incessant complaints to the civic officials and elected representatives; however, they have not been looking up to succeed abysmally.

Such infrastructure is essential to daily commuters from over 40 neighborhoods such as Kodungaiyur, M R Nagar, Muthamizh Nagar, Kannadasan Nagar, Krishnamurthy Nagar, and MKB Nagar. This loss of access and foot traffic further takes a huge toll on local businesses.

“This flyover was meant to solve our problems. Instead, it has become a threat,” states R. Baskar, a shopkeeper in Vyasarpadi. “It has been more than a year with no progress.”

Now the locals fear that with the onset of the monsoon, roads that are already crumbling will be further damaged and converted into nightmare scenes of traffic and security.

Civic leaders have now called for more transparency over the status of the flyover and government action to reschedule the completion date. According to locals, further delays would not be acceptable since this link is essential for most northern areas of Chennai.

If action is not taken very soon, this flyover that was to ease congestion might have to be yet another example of poor urban infrastructure planning left hanging in mid-air.