CHENNAI: The National Highways Authority of India is revising its plan for the proposed greenfield expressway from Chennai, starting near Singaperumal Koil to Tiruchy by limiting the new alignment up to Tindivanam and widening the existing GST Road from there to Tiruchy to reduce the extent of land acquisition required.
According to NHAI sources, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways sought changes to the original proposal after the preliminary alignment indicated land acquisition of nearly 3,000 hectares. “The Detailed Project Report is still at an early stage, and alignment approval is the first step. When the draft alignment was presented to the ministry, officials requested that the authority minimise land requirements and examine the feasibility of upgrading the existing highway for the southern stretch,” sources said.
The earlier alignment was planned to originate at the seventh kilometre of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road’s Singaperumal Koil to Sriperumbudr section and run parallel to the GST Road at a distance of about seven kilometres up to Tiruchy.
To avoid large-scale land acquisition, the authority is now considering constructing the new expressway only up to Tindivanam, while widening the existing four-lane GST Road from Tindivanam to Tiruchy into a six-lane facility with two-lane service roads on either side. “Alignment will be finalised in two months,” a senior official said.
However, the proposed alignment also overlapped with the proposed Cheyyar–Oragadam industrial corridor at two locations. The ministry asked the NHAI to avoid such overlaps and consider alternative options, like considering the starting point from the industrial corridor itself.
Traffic on the GST Road has seen a significant rise, with vehicle movement between Tambaram and Chengalpattu exceeding 1 lakh passenger car units per day, an NHAI official said. Traffic volumes remain high further towards Ulundurpet as well.
Somasundaran, an omnibus driver, argues that the expressway should proceed on the originally proposed greenfield route to relieve congestion. “During the weekends and festival seasons, it takes nearly two hours to cross the Paranur toll plaza from Tambaram. Even beyond Chengalpattu, the traffic has increased along the four-lane highway over the years. A new highway would help reduce the traffic congestion,” he said.
As per the broader plan, the expressway would be developed in phases, first between Chennai and Tiruchy and later extended to Thoothukudi to improve connectivity to the southern industrial and port infrastructure.
Responding to a question from Tiruchy MP Durai Vaiko in Parliament, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed that the DPR process for the Chennai-Tiruchy-Madurai corridor has been initiated. “The decision of the project implementation will be made based on the outcome of DPR, requirement of connectivity, traffic density and synergy with PM Gati Shakti Master Plan,” he said.