Work on a foot overbridge near the DMDK headquarters on Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Salai is set to begin within days, the State Highways Department has said, addressing a dangerous pedestrian crossing point near the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus in Koyambedu.
A senior official from the State Highways Department told DT Next that land acquisition for the project has been completed and that the tender process is also over. “Within one or two days, the construction of that project will start,” the official said.
The proposed foot overbridge will be built at the crossing between the Koyambedu grade separator and the CMBT flyover. The project was proposed by the Highways Department in 2025 at an estimated cost of Rs 18 crore, but construction had not begun nearly a year after the announcement.
Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, widely known as 100 Feet Road, is one of Chennai’s arterial roads and carries heavy traffic through the day. The stretch near the CMBT is particularly busy, but the crossing in front of the DMDK headquarters does not have a traffic signal, leaving pedestrians to cross a wide road carrying fast-moving vehicles.
The location becomes more hazardous when vehicles descend from the flyover, according to the report. During peak hours, traffic police personnel are deployed to regulate vehicle movement and assist pedestrians. For much of the day, however, people are required to cross the road without that support.
The crossing also affects vehicle movement. Pedestrians crossing the road during busy periods can interrupt traffic flow, contributing to congestion on the Koyambedu flyover and the road below it, which connects to the bus terminus.
Persistent complaints from members of the public led to the proposed intervention. The delay in starting work was attributed partly to the need to acquire land for the structure, a process the department now says has been completed.
The project’s immediate significance lies in the way a single crossing serves both a large pedestrian movement and a major traffic corridor. The CMBT draws passengers and workers throughout the day, while Jawaharlal Nehru Salai carries vehicles through one of Chennai’s most active transport nodes. Until the foot overbridge is completed, pedestrians will continue to depend on traffic regulation and gaps in vehicle movement to cross the road.
The Highways Department has indicated that construction will commence within one or two days. The supplied report does not specify the project’s construction duration, opening date, design details or whether accessibility features such as lifts or ramps are included.
