With a June commissioning target in sight, both the State Highways Department and Southern Railway have accelerated work on Stage II of the Trichy Junction Road Over Bridge (RoB), after earlier delays.
The railways have begun assembling a steel girder bridge over the railway tracks near Trichy Junction station. One of the two bowstring bridge spans is similar in design to the new Kollidam bridge, which has already been procured from Katpadi. According to railway officials, welding and assembly work are currently underway, while preparations are being made to transport and install the second span. Once the remaining span arrives, heavy machinery, including cranes, will be deployed to position the structure on its supporting columns.
Parallelly, the highways department has fast-tracked the construction of retaining walls and approach ramps for the RoB’s multiple arms to ensure the project is completed within the revised timeline.
The assembly of the bowstring bridge spans is expected to take at least 50 days, followed by a mandatory safety inspection. Earlier delays were attributed to the railways in procuring components and the highways department in acquiring 235 sqm of land at the Posts and Telegraphs (P&T) Colony.
Meanwhile, the highways department has intensified wall construction at both the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) office end and the Aristo (Ambedkar statue) end. A highways official said the approach road work would begin after the railways hand over the project, adding that soil filling and wall construction are already underway.
Once commissioned, Stage II of the Trichy Junction RoB will handle vehicles exiting the city, while inbound traffic from the Chennai–Trichy–Madurai NH will continue to use the operational Stage I. Electricity poles at the Mannarpuram end will be relocated by Tangedco shortly.
