CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has commenced preliminary work in building a Multi-level Parking (MLP) facility at the Kodambakkam zonal office on Dr Ambedkar Salai to address the city's growing parking issue.
The construction work will begin in a month, and it will be managed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for 25 years, with the ground plus three floors allocated to the GCC.
"The demolition works have started at the Kodambakkam zonal office for the construction of the MLP, and construction will commence within a month. Vedhacapital Infra Projects Private Limited has taken up the work," a Corporation official told DT Next.
The official added that the MLP will comprise a ground floor plus eight upper floors (G+8), with a total built-up area of 72,450 square feet. The project is designed as a multi-story commercial and administrative complex.
The builder will pay an annual fee of Rs 22.50 lakh to the GCC, and the facility must be constructed within the 24-month fixed deadline.
A separate entrance will be provided to the GCC zonal office, alongside a parking facility for the GCC. The ground floor plus three upper floors are for the GCC, while the fourth to eighth floors are for commercial space. The basement provides bike parking space, and a small restaurant will be located on the ground floor.
According to the GCC, the MLP is executed on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, with the PPP model, and aims to alleviate parking congestion while providing high-quality civic and commercial spaces.
"Featuring a 30-metre-high tower parking system, the new MLP facility offers over 700 slots for cars and two-wheelers. It provides 600 bike slots (127 general, 422 GCC) and 112 car spaces (32 general, 75 GCC), exceeding mandatory requirements," said the GCC official.
The facility might serve as a convenient and useful parking hub for daily commuters as it is located near an upcoming metro station.
"The zonal office was shifted to a nearby private marriage hall. Once the works are completed, it will be shifted back to its old place," workers at the site said.
Already, the GCC operates a multi-level parking (MLP) facility on Thanikachalam Road in T Nagar, a 4-tier automated infrastructure built to remove roadside parking obstructions. It accommodates around 222 cars and 512 two-wheelers concurrently. Additionally, the GCC plans to construct another MLP in Tiruvottiyur.