CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday virtually laid the foundation stone for the construction of a four-lane elevated road corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi along the East Coast Road (ECR) for a project aimed at easing chronic traffic congestion on one of Chennai’s busiest arterial stretches.
The 13-km elevated corridor will pass through Thiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Vettuvankeni, Injambakkam, Sholinganallur and Panaiyur before reaching Uthandi.
The elevated structure has been designed to begin near the ECR–Lattice Bridge Road junction in Thiruvanmiyur and terminate at Uthandi. The four-lane corridor will be built to a width of 17.25 metres and a height of 5.5 metres to facilitate two-way traffic. Highway Minister EV Velu was also present at the function.
Entry and exit ramps will be provided at key locations such as the Thiruvanmiyur RTO, Neelankarai and Akkarai. In addition, major junctions, including Akkarai, Neelankarai and Lattice Bridge Road. Existing roads in select stretches will be widened to six lanes to improve traffic dispersal.
The corridor will be equipped with modern road infrastructure, including lane markings, traffic signage, reflective and solar-powered studs, noise barriers and safety barricades. Rainwater harvesting systems will be installed in the spaces between pillars, and continuous LED lighting will be provided along the entire elevated stretch.
The project is being implemented by KNR Constructions Pvt Ltd under the Hybrid Annuity Model. The project has a construction period of three years, followed by five years of maintenance.
The elevated corridor is being taken up by the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority, which was constituted to implement major road infrastructure projects, including four-lane highways and expressways, through the public-private partnership mode. The project cost is estimated at Rs 2,100 crore.
Officials said the corridor, billed as the longest elevated road project in Tamil Nadu, would significantly improve safety, travel speed and commuter convenience on the ECR, which has seen rapid growth in traffic volumes over the years.
Disposing of an appeal filed by Dilip Buildcon against a single judge’s order refusing to interfere with the tender process initiated by the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan on February 16 directed the company to file its appeal before the competent authority within five days of receiving a copy of the order. The Bench ordered the competent authority to consider and dispose of the appeal within 10 days of its submission and directed that the work order should not be issued until the appeal is decided.