Work to construct a foot overbridge (FOB) near Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) campus on the Tindivanam Highway at a cost of ₹2.4 crore is nearing completion.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said the 31-metre-long facility was necessitated as many visitors, including patients, their relatives and hospital authorities had to cross the busy highway to reach the campus safely.

With a rise in vehicular population, the demand for a FOB to provide a safe passage for patients had been a long-pending demand.

Over 10,000 people visit Jipmer every day. After getting down from the buses headed to Tindivanam and Kooteripattu, visitors and pedestrians often make use of a gap in the median to cross the road, risking their lives.

“The FOB is the need of the hour. Every day, we see people, including elderly women and children, trying to navigate the traffic to reach the campus. Though traffic occasionally stops to let pedestrians cross, it is risky to cross the stretch at night as vehicles ply at high speed,” says Arasu who runs an eatery near the campus.

Initially, the project faced delay as there was no consensus between the NHAI and the Jipmer management over whether to build a subway or a FOB. While NHAI had proposed the construction of a FOB on the stretch, the Jipmer management was of the view that a subway would be more suitable. Subsequently, a plan was prepared for the construction of a FOB and the work commenced.

“The project, aimed at improving pedestrian access, is currently under way and progressing smoothly. Over 75% of the work has been completed and the NHAI has planned to open it for public use in June,” an official said.

On completion, the FOB will have two sets of staircase and two lifts. The machinery is being installed, and the facility will be opened soon. Officials said that ramps would be built for persons with disabilities to facilitate use of the new facility. LED lighting, CCTV cameras, and steel railings on the bridge would also be provided.