more-in The pathetic condition of the road on the old bridge across the Kudamuritti river on Vayalur Road, one of the busiest arterial roads leading to the city suburbs, has been exposing motorists to danger. The old bridge was reopened in February this year after persistent demands and public complaints over frequent accidents on the new bridge, built a few years back. The old bridge now caters to traffic on one direction towards the city from Vayalur. But the black-topped road over it has eroded badly and the gravel stretches give a torrid time for road users. Construction of the new bridge was necessitated following a decision by the PWD to widen the Kudamuritti River, running for a stretch of about 6.1 km between Puthur weir and the Cauvery River. The PWD had earlier planned to dismantle the old bridge. The alignment of the new bridge itself had come in for severe criticism from residents as it had a sharp bend towards the Vayalur side, making it a dangerous and accident prone zone. The new bridge was built by the Highways Department as part of the flood prevention project a few years back. The bridge was built with wider and taller vents so as to ensure smooth flow of flood discharges into the Kudamuritti from the Puthur weir. As the approach road of the new bridge also abuts the entry point to M.M. Nagar and other colonies, it poses problems to residents. With a school located in the vicinity, school students are also facing much hardship every day, they said. “The alignment of the bridge is the main problem and it is causing frequent accidents. The authorities should take steps to straighten it. There are many schools in the vicinity and school students often meet with accidents on the bridge. Though the opening of the old bridge has come as a relief, the problem remains. Besides, the road on the old bridge should be repaired. I have made many representations to the Corporation, but civic officials say it has to be done by the Highways Department. We wonder whether the Highways Department would take note of this problem at all,” said K.S. Nagarajan, former Corporation councillor. Mr.Nagarajan said that a high mast lamp has been installed at the spot and would be brought into use soon. “The old bridge was reopened without carrying out any repairs to the structure. The road on the old bridge had almost been eroded completely when it remained closed and in disuse for about a couple years,” pointed out V.Sundararaju, a resident of the locality and president, Society for Conservation of Nature. Many residents have also been demanding the widening of the two-lane Vayalur Road as it has turned one of the busiest roads in the city due to rapid urbanisation even beyond Vayalur. But so far, no effort has been made towards this, they complained. Widening the road would entail extensive land acquisition, said civic officials.

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