CHENNAI: The work on the multi-modal integrated transport hub and commercial complex, which will be built at the site that earlier housed the Broadway bus terminus at an estimated cost of Rs 822.70 crore, was formally kick-started by Chief Minister MK Stalin, who laid the foundation stone for the facility on Thursday.
The complex, including a nine-storey multi-modal hub and a 10-storey commercial building, will together have 73 bus bays, passenger concourses, retail spaces, offices, and parking facilities with a total built-up area of 1.36 lakh sq. metres. The facility will be developed by the Greater Chennai Corporation, as announced by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department in the 2022-23 budget.
Once developed, it will be a key interchange point integrating Kuralagam, High Court Metro station with MRTS/suburban rail services and is aimed at decongesting the area and improving passenger flow in one of the city's busiest transport corridors.
The main complex will consist of two basement levels, a ground floor, and eight upper floors. While the ground and first floors will house the bus terminal, the upper floors will be used for office space. The basements will accommodate parking and passenger circulation.
A separate commercial block will include retail outlets on the lower floors and office spaces above, with direct pedestrian connectivity to the bus terminal and parking areas. A third structure will house auxiliary transport access facilities, including Metro Rail entry and exit points linking the terminal with NSC Bose Road.
The project will provide parking for 433 cars and 1,174 two-wheelers, along with lifts, escalators, fire safety systems, sewage treatment facilities, and power infrastructure.
Built in the early 1960s, the Broadway bus terminus initially served long-distance bus services before such operations were shifted to Koyambedu in 2002 due to congestion in the northern parts of the city. It has since functioned as a city bus hub with redevelopment plans under consideration for several years.