CHENNAI: The state highways department has perfected the craft of missing deadlines. Seven flyovers it is building across the city and suburbs are behind schedule. The result? Traffic pile-ups at the construction sites, vehicles kicking up dust and more pain for motorists who are always pressed for time on their way to work.

Flyovers and grade separators are coming up at key junctions on GST Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road to ease traffic. Executed at a total cost of of Rs 550 crores, these facilities in Eechangadu, Koyambedu, Medavakkam, Pallavaram , Retteri, Vandalur and Velachery cover a total stretch of nearly 8km.

However, the delays are giving residents and commuters a tough time.

N Mayan, of Sarathi Nagar in Velachery, said he is forced to take a detour whenever he wants to reach the Velachery Bypass Road since traffic at Vijayanagar junction comes to a standstill during office hours. “At times, it takes up to 30 minutes to cover a distance of 1km during office hours. So we take bylanes to keep away from the traffic,” he said. The flyover in Velachery is already delayed by more than a year.

Nearly 10 kilometres away from Velachery, a flyover and a grade separator are coming up at Medavakkam and Eechangadu. But work was hit after after the contractor abandoned the projects. The highways department floated tenders and appointed a new contractor.

But that has not helped.

C Jayakumar, a resident, said construction work is on at a snail’s pace. “Motorists get stuck in traffic jams and choke in the dust,” he said.

The flyovers at Retteri and Vandalur in the southern suburbs that were scheduled to be completed early this year are delayed. Vehicles entering the city from Chengalpet pile up for about a kilometre in Vandalur as construction work has shrunk the witdh of the highway.

When contacted, a highways department official said difficulties in diverting traffic on arterial roads hampered work and delayed completion.

“We are given only five hours at night to carry out concrete-related work in Koyambedu because vehicular movement cannot be stopped. Moreover, stay on acquiring land for public projects also delayed a few projects,” the official said. The official said the seven projects are likely to be completed by next June.

