Somasundara Mill underpass may be put to full use
Mayor R. Venkatachalam (left) and Corporation Commissioner V.K. Shanmugham (second right) inspecting the Somasundara Mill underpass in Coimbatore on Monday. After a long time, the Somasundara Mill underpass may be put to full use as a traffic route. The Corporation began on Monday efforts to turn things around at the underpass where waste water and slush had stagnated to render it unusable. This underpass is among the four that serve as vital links in the traffic system of the city. While the others at Lanka Corner, Sivananda Colony and Kikani School had been repaired and some flood prevention measures carried out there, the Somasundara Mill underpass had remained off bounds for traffic for sometime.
Repairs to retaining walls, concrete lining for the slopes from the overhead railway tracks and pipelines to take waste water to the sewage farm are some of the efforts that the Corporation began under a project for Rs.10 lakh. Providing details of the works after inspecting the spot, Mayor R. Venkatachalam said: “We will ensure that water does not stagnate at the underpass. Water collecting on the road during rain will pass through a drain on the road surface into pipelines. From here, water will go to the sewage farm.”
Corporation Commissioner V.K. Shanmugham, Deputy Mayor N. Karthik and Corporation South Zone Chairman P. Pynthamil were among those present at the launch of works. The Corporation would also use motors to pump water out of the underpass whenever necessary. The Mayor said he had also asked railway officials to plug leaks in the drinking water line, as water falling from it damaged the road at the underpass. During rain, mud from the slopes accumulated at the underpass and this area turned slushy. This was why this route remained cut off during rain. “It has been a problem zone for the last 10 years,” the Mayor said. The concrete lining should end this problem, he said.
Now, apart from flood prevention measures, adequate lighting would also be provided to make this stretch safe for use by even pedestrians, the Mayor said. As for traffic flow, he said if the underpass was turned into a problem-free route, cars, autorickshaws and small vans could use this to reach Kattoor and Ramnagar from Brooke Bond Road. This would, in turn, reduce stress on the Avanashi Road Flyover.
The Mayor said the open drainage canal on the flyover leading to Goods Shed Road would be closed. Mud accumulating in it blocked flow of water. And, the wheels of motorcycles and cars got stuck in it. Pipes would be laid to drain rain water from the flyover. A new drainage would also be provided for the roads below the flyover, the Mayor said, when his attention was drawn to the complaints from traders on the open drainage that blocked access to their shops.
