CHENNAI: Narrow carriageways and mounting traffic congestion on the Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road in North Chennai and the Inner Ring Road at Koyambedu have prompted the State Highways Department to initiate studies for three infrastructure upgrades, including widening two bridges and extending a grade separator.
According to a Maalaimalar report, separate tenders have been floated to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for the two projects. It is reported that steps to widen the Basin Bridge were initiated following a petition submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Widening the Basin Bridge is expected to reduce travel time from 20 minutes to just four minutes.
Earlier, the State Highways Department has planned to extend two crucial bridges, the Basin Bridge and the Vyasarpadi Road Over Bridge (ROB) on Erukkancheri High Road, to ease persistent traffic congestion in North Chennai.
An announcement to this effect was made by PWD and Highways Minister Aadhav Arjuna during the Assembly session.
The proposal involves extending the existing Y-shaped grade separator on the Perambur side of GNT Road, from Vyasarpadi Market towards Ambedkar College. The existing road overbridge (RoB) splits into two arms, one towards Sathyamurthy Nagar and the other towards Vyasarpadi Market. The carriageway on the market side is only 6 to 7 metres wide, leading to vehicle accumulation and a bottleneck on the arterial road.
The road carries traffic equivalent to 1,12,586 passenger car units (PCUs), according to the project document. The stretch serves Stanley Hospital, medical educational institutions, railway stations, goods sheds, commercial establishments and small industries. It is also a key route for freight movement to Chennai Port. Extending the grade separator is expected to ease congestion, improve connectivity and reduce peak-hour travel time.
The second proposal addresses congestion at Basin Bridge on GNT Road, where the bridge crosses the Buckingham Canal, Basin railway station and Otteri Nallah. Its existing carriageway is just 6 metres wide, causing vehicle queues to stretch beyond 1 km during peak hours.
The department proposes to widen the bridge while maintaining the required clearance above the maximum flood level and railway tracks. The project document notes that public representations and requests to the Chief Minister's Office have sought measures to ease congestion at Basin Bridge. The DPR will assess engineering feasibility, land requirements and project costs before a decision is taken on construction.
The third project concerns the bridge across the Cooum river on Jawaharlal Nehru Road, also known as the Inner Ring Road, near the Koyambedu-Anna Nagar West intersection and about 300 metres from VR Mall. The road connects major hubs including Guindy, Vadapalani, Koyambedu, Anna Nagar, Padi and Kolathur.
The corridor carries more than 1.2 lakh PCUs a day, but the existing bridge restricts the effective carriageway width to 18.8 metres. This creates a bottleneck, with queues extending between Koyambedu junction and the VR Mall-Thirumangalam junction during peak hours. The bridge is an important route for the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, Koyambedu wholesale market, Metro feeder services and freight traffic.
The proposal is to widen the bridge deck from 18.8 metres to 33.8 metres across its eight spans, covering a total length of 131 metres. The approach roads are also proposed to be widened by 5 metres over 250 metres on either side.
The three consultancy assignments have a combined estimated cost of Rs 52.60 lakh, with each study scheduled to be completed in five months. The DPRs will assess engineering feasibility, traffic requirements, structural options, land needs, utility shifting and project costs, providing the basis for decisions on the scope and implementation of the proposed works.