Elephant gate bridge to be demolished by the southern railways
Posted on: 16/Nov/2019 9:40:30 AM
In Chennai, Elephant Gate Bridge connects Choolai with Waltax Road and Sowcarpet. It is now revealed that southern railways would demolish this popular bridge.
It is important to mention that on Friday the two-wheeler riders were surprised to find that the bridge was restricted even for them. Important information is a couple of years back the authorities have stopped 4 wheelers and heavy vehicles using this bridge due to issues in the structure stability. Point is this bridge is more than 150 years old and is in very bad condition.
Small pieces of debris routinely fall on the railway tracks and this was as per some senior officials of southern railways. Just 2 wheelers were allowed to use this bridge as the bridge was not safe for the four-wheelers.
Pulianthope and Sowcarpet side belonging to north Chennai are important trading hubs and it is now said that this Elephant gate bridge being unsuitable for the 4 wheelers has been creating inconvenience for many 4 wheelers.
The electric cables present underneath the bridge would be removed by the Tangedco and this was revealed by the railway officials. This work would take about one month and later the bridge would be destroyed.
It was mentioned by the GCC officials that their work would begin only after the southern railways demolished the portion above the tracks. A new bridge would be constructed and an amount of Rs 27 crores would be spent for this. It is worth mentioning that the southern railway has got plans to construct 2 additional lines leading to Salt Cottars Yard. Hence demolishing the bridge is important for the southern railways.
It must be taken into account that the southern railways have got plans to develop the yard as another mini terminal for trains to the western part of the country. The senior officials later brought out that the yard could become another mini terminal only if the bridge gets demolished. Point is the work requires the transfer of land between railways, Tangedco and GCC. For the extension of the new bridge, the officials of GCC have asked for the railway land in the Salt Cottars Yard area.
