Citizen connect: Sans space at Retteri junction due to flyover works, pedestrians wait for subway opening

The Jawaharlal Nehru Salai-Perumbur Paper Mills road intersection, well known as Retteri junction, is one of the busiest junctions with the heavy flow of vehicles all through the day. The construction of twin flyover on the junction has made the situation worse for the pedestrians who have to cross the arterial road to reach the bus stops. Along with the flyovers, the Highways department had proposed to construct a pedestrian subway to ensure the safe movement of pedestrians.

“With the ongoing construction of the flyover, the road space has been reduced, forcing the vehicles to vie with each other to go past the junction. The heavy movement of the vehicles, particularly during the peak hours make the life difficult for pedestrians to cross the busy road. Sometimes it may take five to 10 minutes to reach the bus stop from Retteri side,” said K Gopalakrishnan a resident of Secretariat Colony at Vinayagapuram in Kolathur.

According to the local residents, private and government buses do not stop at the signal often. “Mostly during peak hours at night, we could not imagine crossing the road. Buses do not follow traffic rules properly and they would jump the red signal often. They stop if policemen force them to,” R Ravi, a local resident. He noted that the Highways department seemed to have completed the works on the pedestrian subway but they did not open it for the public use.

“For months now, no works are taking place on the pedestrian subway, the external structures on both sides were completed. On one side, the shutters remain closed, while on the other side, it remains open, but no works happening. If the works are completed, it should be opened for the public use,” he said.

A Highways department official said that most of the works on the subway are completed but still some works are pending. “Only after the completion of the flyover, the subway could be opened for public use. With the traffic diversion in place, it is impossible to allow the pedestrian movement on the main carriageway to reach the subway,” the official explained.