CHENNAI: In a move aimed at expediting road projects and reducing delays in approvals, the State Highways Department has decided to merge four of its units — NABARD and rural roads, the metro wing, construction and maintenance (C&M), and project units — under a single umbrella, ‘Construction and Maintenance’, and reorganise them into four zonal units.
Each zone will be headed by a chief engineer, with headquarters in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchy.
According to a recent Government Order (G.O.) issued by department secretary R Selvaraj, the revised administrative structure will come into effect from April 1.
So far, all four wings of the highways department have been overseen by chief engineers based in Chennai, necessitating frequent long-distance travel to monitor projects.
A senior highways official said the metro wing typically executes new road projects, including flyovers, bridges, road overbridges (ROBs) and other infrastructure works. “Due to heavy workload, projects such as the Teynampet–Saidapet elevated corridor were handed over to the construction and maintenance wing. Similarly, several projects across the state have been transferred to other units. Under the new structure, projects in each zone will be supervised by the respective chief engineer,” the official said.
At present, the total road length maintained by the four units stands at 68,150 km. Under the new arrangement, the Chennai zone will oversee 16,675 km, Madurai 18,474 km, Coimbatore 18,871 km, and Tiruchy over 14,130 km.