CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Highways Department has invited tenders to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a proposed link road connecting Sholinganallur on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) with Kovalam on East Coast Road (ECR), a project expected to ease traffic congestion at the busy Sholinganallur junction and improve connectivity between the two roads.
According to a Daily Thanthi report, the selected consultant will be required to complete the DPR within three months. The study will include land surveys, traffic and transportation assessments, soil testing, an assessment of groundwater conditions, and preparation of a land acquisition plan and project appraisal.
The proposed road is expected to improve connectivity for motorists travelling from Sholinganallur, Siruseri and Kelambakkam towards Kovalam and Mahabalipuram. At present, commuters have limited direct connectivity between OMR and ECR and often have to take a longer route via the Thoraipakkam–Neelankarai road.
Officials expect the proposed link to reduce travel time between the areas to around 10 minutes and help ease congestion at Sholinganallur, a key junction connecting several rapidly developing residential and commercial areas along OMR.
The final report will include the recommended alignment, engineering designs, land acquisition plans and cost estimates, providing the basis for further decisions on implementation.
Separately, the department is pursuing a 1.465-km link road connecting the Pallavaram 200 Feet Radial Road at its intersection with OMR to ECR at Neelankarai. The six-lane road, with a right-of-way of 30.5 metres, is expected to improve connectivity between two major arterial corridors and reduce traffic congestion in southern Chennai.
The department has already completed 860 metres of the road from the OMR side in the first phase. The remaining stretch towards ECR involves land acquisition, which the department has begun. A 36-metre-long high-level steel bridge is planned across the Buckingham Canal, and a tender has already been floated for the construction works.
Further details on the road alignment, land acquisition requirements, project cost and implementation timeline are expected to emerge after the study is completed.