CHENNAI: Motorists using the busy Inner Ring Road (IRR) at Padi can expect smoother rides from January, with the State Highways Department nearing completion of a Rs 155-crore project to widen a 1.1-km bottleneck stretch and the road overbridge (RoB). The project also includes U-turn service roads beneath the bridge to ease congestion and reduce accidents.
The Highways Department has completed 94% of its work, while the Railways is widening the existing bridge on both sides. A senior Highways official said that the remaining road works will begin after the railway portion is completed.
The project will widen the existing three-lane RoB and narrow approach roads to match the IRR’s dual five-lane configuration. The stretch between Padi junction and the bridge is a traffic bottleneck, with the road narrowing to two lanes near Padi railway station on the Villivakkam side. Sharp curves beyond the bridge approach also make the stretch accident-prone.
“We’ve completed 94% of the work. The railway work is at the substructure stage. Once it’s completed, the widened carriageway will be opened to traffic,” the official said.
The department is also planning U-turn service roads beneath the RoB on the Padi and Red Hills sides, for which the state government sanctioned Rs 14.5 crore in July 2025. Highway department officials said that the new service roads would let residents of Villivakkam, Kolathur, Thathankuppam and nearby areas on the right side of the IRR reach Korattur, Red Hills and other localities on the left side without relying on the congested Korattur North junction.
Vehicles heading towards the proposed Greater Chennai Corporation amusement park at Villivakkam tank would also benefit, as they would no longer need to travel up to the Korattur North signal to take a U-turn. Industries in the corridor, including Wheels India, Lucas TVS and Sundaram Clayton, are expected to gain from improved freight movement.
The proposed service roads will range from 354 metres to 424 metres, with 75-metre sections passing beneath the railway span. The design provides more than 5.5 metres of vertical clearance beneath the railway girders. Continuous footpaths are also planned to improve pedestrian safety.