Anna Flyover, also known as Gemini Flyover, is a dual-armed grade separator in the central business district of

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, India. Built in 1973, it is the first flyover in Chennai and the third in India. It was the longest flyover in the country at its completion. It allows traffic movements on

Anna Salai Anna Salai (), named for C. N. Annadurai, formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It starts at the Cooum Creek, south of Fort St George, leading in a south-westerly direction towa ...

(formerly Mount Road) to cross traffic with grade separation. The area and the flyover is named after the now-demolished

Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Su ...

. On two sides of the circle roundabout below the centre of the flyover are two identical statues that commemorate the banning of

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

History and design

Anna flyover was constructed in 1973 by East Coast Construction and Industries in 21 months at a cost of 6.6 million and was opened to traffic on 1 July 1973. The architects of the flyover had made provision for its extension, if necessary, on either side. Its design has remained nearly identical since the 1970s. The flyover is 500 m long.

Landmarks

This Equestrian horse statue was sculpted by the M. N. Jayaram Nagappa son of sculptor Rao Bahadur M. S. Nagappa and brother of M. N. Mani Nagappa, who is also a sculptor. Notable landmarks abutting the Anna Flyover include the old Safire Theatre complex, the

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

and the U.S. Consulate. Gemini studio has been demolished and a shopping complex called Parson Manor and a 5-star deluxe hotel called The Park have been built in its place. Opposite to these across the flyover lies the Semmozhi Poonga, the 20-acre, 80-million botanical garden constructed by the horticultural department.

Traffic

In the 1970s, over 9,000 vehicles crossed the junction during peak hour. By the 2010s, the stretch between Parry's Corner and Nandanam was used by over 16,000 vehicles during rush hour. Anna Salai is used by over 0.183 million vehicles every day. An average of 20,000 vehicles per hour pass through the intersection beneath the flyover.

Developments

The government had plans to lease out the area under the flyover to a restaurant, a shopping centre, godowns and a parking lot, and for advertising. A preliminary study by Chennai City Connect, an NGO working on improving traffic and transport conditions in Chennai, found that the Gemini Circle intersection costs the city 270,000 a day in

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human capital Human capital or human assets is a concept used by economists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subs ...

and ecological loss. There are plans to build a flyover on top of the existing flyover. A short-term plan at a cost of 9 million has also been planned. Anna Flyover is now maintained by Aircel Cellular as a part of corporate social responsibility, which has implemented LED lighting accentuating the parapets of the flyover. LED lighting to beautify a public structure has been implemented for the first time in India by city-based Abra Media Networks; TNRIDC, a division of Highways, has awarded the contract to Aircel starting from July 2010.

Accidents and incidents

In January 1998, a small bomb was detonated under the flyover near the American consulate building. On 27 June 2012, over 40 people were injured when a Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus overturned while negotiating a curve and fell from the flyover from a height of 20 ft.

References