With the DMK back in power, and Stalin holding the Local Administration portfolio, it expected that the Perambur mini-flyover will get a fresh lease of life. All construction had stopped once the ADMK came to power in 2001.

Between 1996 and 2001, the DMK government, when Stalin was the Mayor of Chennai, he built 11 or 12 mini flyovers. It was rumoured that most were build largely because Bombay had its share, and Chennai shouldn’t be left far behind.

Near my house there are two such flyovers, one is the Alwarpet flyover and the other is on Cathedral road. The latter serves some purpose, and facilitates the easy movement of traffic across the Music Academy junction.

the Alwarpet flyover serves no purpose. It was built to clear the traffic jam around the Lifestyle signals and the Eldams road TTk road junction. Even after it was built the traffic congestion still persisted, largely because the flyover merely made movement one way easier that is while coming from Music Academy onto CP Ramaswamy road. In addition to the congestion around these two signals, a new area, near Foodworld, on CP Ramaswamy road also witnessed some traffic congestion after the flyover was built. Clearly the flyover complicated the problem. This was finally solved by using some ingenious traffic regulations, rather than the flyover. But I like the Alwarpet flyover, its got a nice 40 degree left turn followed by a 30 degree right turn, which I enjoy driving through on my bike.

I wish the DMK government would conduct a more clear analysis of each flyover before proceeding. The Alwarpet flyover is clearly useless and a total waste of money.

With other metros also following suit, I am sure a whole lot of money is being wasted on these flyovers.