Kodungaiyur Canal Bridge Reconstruction Stalled in Muthamizh Nagar

The Greater Chennai Corporation’s ₹7.2-crore project to reconstruct three narrow bridges across the Kodungaiyur canal in Muthamizh Nagar remains stalled more than a year after its announcement, leaving local residents concerned ahead of the upcoming northeast monsoon.

The civic body had announced the project in April last year as part of wider flood-mitigation measures in the area. The plan involved demolishing and rebuilding bridges on South Avenue Road, North Avenue Road, and Cauvery Salai at higher elevations to allow unimpeded water flow through the canal during heavy spells of rain. Officials had originally assured residents that the reconstruction work would be completed before the monsoon last year.

However, construction work has yet to commence at any of the three locations. The bridge planned for South Avenue Road was allocated ₹2.8 crore, the structure on North Avenue Road was budgeted at ₹2.9 crore, and the bridge at Cauvery Salai was allocated ₹1.4 crore.

A corporation official explained that tenders were floated two or three times last year, but no contractors submitted bids. In addition to a lack of bidder participation, the project encountered difficulties in obtaining necessary traffic diversion permissions from the police. The official added that with the Greater Chennai Corporation currently experiencing a fund crunch, the reconstruction is unlikely to be taken up this year either.

Ward councillor S Jeevan stated that the three bridges, built 20 to 25 years ago, were designed for lower population levels and water volume. Today, the low-lying structures severely restrict water movement. Although the civic body carries out annual desilting of the canal before the monsoon, silt accumulated directly under the low bridges cannot be cleared.

Jeevan added that in 2024, floodwaters overflowed the canal and reached the surface of the bridges, causing waist-level water stagnation across multiple parts of Muthamizh Nagar and surrounding neighborhoods. To break the deadlock, Jeevan urged the civic body to float separate tenders for each individual bridge rather than grouping all three into a single package.

Physical inspection of the site showed that all three bridges have suffered severe deterioration, with worn-away concrete exposing internal reinforcement steel. Local resident LM Jai Ganesh noted that nearly 3,000 residents are affected by flooding every monsoon, urging the civic body to revise the project cost if budgetary limitations are discouraging contractors from bidding.