CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday laid the foundation stone for the construction of the state’s longest four-lane elevated road, spanning 13.3 km from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi at a cost of RS 2,100. The travel time for motorists covering the 13.3 km stretch is expected to come down from the current 60 minutes to just 15 minutes, besides easing congestion at major junctions along the route.
The project which had been stalled for two months due to legal hurdles has now been put back on track after the Bhopal-based Buildcon Limited which had moved the Madras High Court challenging the award of contract to Hyderabad-based KNR Constructions Limited failed to approach the state government for reconsideration of its tender.
Buildcon had informed the court that it quoted a lower price than the successful bidder but was not considered for the project.
Official sources from the state highways department told TNIE the high court had directed Buildcon to submit its representation to the government within five days of the order and instructed the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TNSHA), the implementing agency, to take a decision within 10 days.
Until then, TNSHA was restrained from issuing the work order to KNR Constructions. “Since Buildcon did not submit any application as directed by the court, the work order has now been issued and the project has been launched,” said a senior highways official.
The flyover starts from the West Avenue Road near the intersection of East Coast Road and LB Road at Thiruvanmiyur and ends near the Uthandi toll gate on ECR.
The project will be implemented by (TANSHA) under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) model with the public private partnership, under which the government will pay 40 per cent of the construction cost, while the remaining 60 per cent will be paid after the construction period of five years.
Either the TNSHA can choose to repay the payment in installments in 10 years or can permit the concessionaire to set up toll gates to recover the investment. However, currently, the flyover will not have any toll plazas, said official sources.
With a vertical clearance of 5.5 metres, the four-lane flyover will be 17.25 metres wide, with a median at the centre. Motorists travelling from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi will have two entry ramps at Neelankarai and Akkarai. However, those heading from Uthandi towards Thiruvanmiyur will have exit ramps at Akkarai, Neelankarai and the Thiruvanmiyur RTO Junction.
The elevated corridor will pass over 13 highly congested junctions, including Thiruvanmiyur RTO, Neelankarai, Kottivakkam, Vettuvankeni, Injambakkam, Akkarai, Panaiyur, Gudumiyandithoppu, and others.
According to an official study conducted in June 2024, an average of 68,923 vehicles pass through the Injambakkam junction daily, equivalent to 58,226 passenger car units (PCU).
Peak-hour traffic accounts for 7 per cent in both the morning and evening. The PCU per hour is projected to reach 10,424 by 2054.
S Ramesh, a resident of Kottivakkam, said, “The ECR faces severe congestion from Marundeeswarar temple to Kottivakkam, and again from Vettuvankeni to Neelankarai. Vehicles from the beach side and from the Buckingham Canal side towards ECR mostly encounter traffic blocks during peak hours. Traffic police personnel should be deployed at every junction during the construction period.”