GCC to repair 780 roads in first phase for Rs 150 cr

CHENNAI: Moving quickly to implement Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s announcement in the Assembly, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has identified 780 damaged roads spanning 160 km for immediate relaying in its first phase.

Confirming this, Commissioner GS Sameeran said the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the Rs 150-crore work have been submitted to the State government for administrative sanction to take up the announcement that Chief Minister Vijay, who handles the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, made during the budget session.

“Overall, the project commits Rs 300 crore to upgrade 360 km of roads across Chennai in 2026–27. For the Phase 1 DPRs, project estimates are actively under review by Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (Tufidco) to release loan funding and clear final approvals,” said Commissioner Sameeran.

“Tenders are expected to be floated shortly, with the corporation aiming to complete all physical road improvement works before

the onset of the upcoming northeast monsoon,” he added.

“The initial phase covers 66 critical bus route roads spanning 45.13 km and 714 interior roads with a total length of 114.87 km across zones,” a senior civic body official told DT Next.

According to the official, the key stretches that would be taken up in the first phase are Nelson Manickam Road, Sterling Road, Velachery Main Road, Indira Nagar 1st and 3rd Avenues, Ashok Nagar 10th Avenue, Vijayaraghava Road, Ormes Road, Madanakuppam Road, East Kalmandapam Road, and Arunachalam Street.

Once the works are taken up, it would be the first re-laying of these stretches in two years.

Welcoming the move, KS Aravind Janakiraman, who regularly uses Nelson Manickam Road to reach his office, said the stretch is in poor condition from Sobhan Babu statue at Mehta Nagar junction to Poonamallee High Road junction, particularly near MGM Hospital, and also the Nungambakkam subway. This slows down vehicle movement on the road and causes severe traffic congestion during peak hours, he complained.

The city corporation maintains 488 bus route roads with a total length of 418.56 km and 35,978 interior roads spanning for 5,653.89 km. The Bus Route Roads Department of the civic body handles road formation, junction improvements, and footpath construction.