The vehicular subway near the Arakkonam railway station, which was built in 1865, will get a new lease of life. Southern Railway will build a culvert and water storage pits to prevent inundation of the subway. The Arakkonam municipality will maintain the culvert and the storage pits, which will take in the excess rainwater from a nearby lake, preventing it from flowing onto the subway.
Built by the Madras Railway, the subway is a brick and mortar structure. It only carries light vehicles like cars, autorickshaws and two-wheelers. Buses, lorries and trucks have to take a detour to reach both sides of the town. It connects the northern and southern parts of the town.
‘Prevent waterlogging’
“Water seepage in the subway has been a challenge for many years. The culvert, which will be built by Southern Railway, will prevent waterlogging in the subway, especially during monsoon,” said municipal engineer A.D. Asirvatham.
The decision was taken after railway and municipal officials inspected the subway a few days ago. The work will begin in the coming weeks.
The subway is being maintained by the Railways. The municipality regularly cleans the existing culverts and drains. The railway authorities closed the newly built pedestrian subway after it was flooded by the water from the lake.
Officials said a new vehicular subway could not be built because of the continuous movement of trains through Arakkonam.
So, it has been decided to construct a culvert and storage pits as a stopgap measure.
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