Commuters are facing difficulties due to delay in the construction of an overbridge at Ozhuginesary in Nagercoil, which is being undertaken by the Ministry of Railways.
The construction stemmed due to the doubling of the 86.56 km Thiruvananthapuram central - Kanniyakumari rail line, which began in 2019. Construction of the bridge which commenced around two years ago has been progressing at a snail’s pace, causing significant difficulties for the motorists and commuters.
Vadivelan, a hotelier near the bridge, said that the construction has been going on for a really long time and huge cranes were involved in the process of installing the rail bridge two months ago, however it is still at the same stage and has not progressed.
Since Nagercoil, is densely populated, people believed that the upcoming structure would bring relief by improving vehicular movement However, in contrast, a huge portion of the road on one side has been occupied for the project, causing further difficulties for the motorists.
“The condition of the road has started improving since last month. Dust due to the construction activity was worse a few months ago,” said Saravanan, an autorickshaw driver. He added that expediting the bridge work would benefit the public, as traffic congestion was a persistent issue on the old bridge, especially during peak hours and night.
In this context, Kanniyakumari Legislative Assembly member N. Thalavai Sundaram has submitted a plea to the Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting to accelerate the construction work of the overbridge and link road at Ozhuginasery in Nagercoil.
In his letter, he noted that the construction work which started in 2022 was initially planned to be completed by 2024. Due to the delay, all the buses between Nagercoil and Tirunelveli continue to use the existing bridge, causing severe traffic congestion and affecting the public.
Published - April 02, 2025 07:00 pm IST
