Students crossing the railway line as school vans wait at the level crossing at Avalurpet near Tiruvannamalai.
A new four-lane bridge that will be built across the railway track at Avalurpet near Tiruvannamalai railway station will soon end the ordeal of motorists, including ambulances and school buses that wait at least 20 minutes at the manned railway level Crossing (LC:56) every day.
Officials of State Highways, who will execute the new bridge work, said the ₹87.50-crore new bridge will connect the temple town with neighbouring villages and the key stretches, including Tindivanam Main Road and Cuddalore – Chittoor Highway.
More importantly, the new bridge will end the ordeal faced by motorists, including two-wheelers, autorickshaws, school and government buses while crossing the manned railway level crossing every day.
“The new bridge will be built on available government land. Around 600 metres of land will be acquired to lay approach roads for the bridge. Work on the new bridge will begin in the coming months,” P. Gnanavel, Divisional Engineer (DE), State Highways (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.
On Monday, motorists, including school vans, had to wait for nearly 45 minutes at the railway level crossing in Avalurpet after a passenger train was halted due to an engine fault. “A new bridge across the Avalurpet railway gate was a long-standing demand of residents. The new bridge will be a great relief as it will ease traffic in the town,” said K. Manoj, a motorist.
At present, 10-12 trains pass through the railway level crossing in the town every day. Around 7,000 commuters board trains at Tiruvannamalai railway station near the level crossing on a daily basis. In terms of motorists, more than 20,000 vehicles pass through the railway level crossing every day, as per a study done by State Highways and railways.
As per plan, Highways officials said that the new bridge will be 17.20 metres wide and 700 metres long – enough for four buses to travel at a time. The new bridge will be jointly done by the Southern Railway and State Highways on a 50:50 fund basis.
It will also have service lanes, which will be 5.5 metres wide, on both sides of the bridge, 50 LED street lights, storm water drains, and a rainwater harvesting system. Each drain will be on an average 1.5 metres wide and one metre depth. Tiled footpaths with steel hand railings will be provided. Staircases from the bridge to reach the railway station are also being built.
At present, motorists have to detour at least 15 km to reach either side of the railway level crossing. Currently, motorists travel on the bypass road to reach both sides of the town due to frequent closure of the railway gate.
Published – April 08, 2025 10:55 pm IST
