The 1-metre tall structures would be installed for 1.210 km at an estimated cost of ₹29.83 lakh
| Photo Credit: K. PICHUMANI

Stainless steel barriers will come up on both sides of the Porur bridge and the Madhavaram grade separator on the elevated Chennai Bypass.

“It is a measure for blackspot correction on both the structures. They are being put up on a request from the traffic police. At Porur, the bridge passes over the lake. Motorists often stop on the roadside to watch the lake below the bridge. Some people even try to sit or stand on the reinforced cement concrete (RCC) barricades along the sides of the bridge, which can be dangerous. These vehicles also block the free-flow of traffic. The envisioned stainless steel structures will prevent all this from happening,” said an official source.

At the Madhavaram grade separator, when motorists take the down side ramp, speeding vehicles can cause accidents at the curve. The stainless steel barricades will prevent this.

NHAI initiative

The barricades are part of efforts of the National Highways Authority of India to reduce accidents on these structures.

Tenders have been called for designing and installing the barriers that will allow motorists to see the other side, and yet cannot cross the reinforced cement concrete barricades.

The height of the barricades would be one metre each. They would be installed for a combined length of 1.210 km at an estimated cost of ₹29.83 lakh. The contractor would have to complete the work within a period of 120 days.

A former Highways engineer said that such measures were welcome and must be initiated on all bridges across water bodies.

“There have been incidents of people accidentally falling over while watching the lake below. There have also been deaths due to drowning. These stainless steel barricades will not prevent people from seeing the water. But they will not be able to access the lake from the bridge in any manner,” he said.