CHENNAI: The four-laning of the 62-km stretch of East Coast Road from Mahabalipuram to Marakkanam has been progressing at a snail’s pace for nearly four years. The project, awarded in May 2022 with a stipulated completion period of 24 months (May 2024), has been delayed due to land acquisition issues and other reasons, posing risks to thousands of motorists. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that work on 60% of the project is over and it will be completed by August 31 this year. The total cost is estimated to be `2,476.6 crore.
Responding to a query raised by DMK MP A Raja on delays in national highway projects in Tamil Nadu, Gadkari said that about 63.7% of the four-laning work on the 31-km Mahabalipuram-Mugaiyur stretch, costing `1,360.5 crore, has been completed.
Similarly, the four-laning of the 31-km Mugaiyur-Marakkanam stretch, taken up at a cost of `1,116.1 crore in December 2023, has achieved 56.64% progress and is also targeted for completion by August. “The delay was due to multiple factors, including land acquisition issues, inadequate resource mobilisation, delays in procuring borrow earth, and additional works arising from scope changes,” Gadkari added.
A senior NHAI official said that material procurement issues also contributed to the delays. “The work was further slowed due to land stabilisation challenges, as the highway runs close to coastal areas. Alternative service roads have also been planned at several locations where stabilisation issues have arisen. The curves on the two lane highway were also straightened,” the official said.
The project also faced a minor setback in April last year after the National Green Tribunal directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to obtain statutory clearances from the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority and other agencies for widening a 900m stretch of ECR passing through Odiyur Lagoon near Kuvathur. Subsequently, NHAI submitted a compliance report to the tribunal to proceed with the works.