CHENNAI: The 22-km Padi-Thiruninravur stretch of the Chennai-Tiruvallur Highway (CTH) continues to witness severe traffic congestion, as the long-pending proposal to widen the road into a six-lane highway has been on the backburner for over 13 years. Commuters face traffic snarls throughout the day, worsened by uneven road surfaces and potholes.
In 2022, the state highways allocated Rs 168 crore for land acquisition to widen the stretch into a six-lane road. However, the project continues to face delays due to disputes over finalising land boundaries at several locations, protests and pending court cases.
According to state highways officials, the existing four-lane road has a width of only 45-50 ft and needs to be widened to 80-100 ft before the proposed 22-km elevated corridor from Padi to Thiruninravur can be taken up. “Land acquisition has been completed for more than 60 per cent of the stretch. The remaining work will be completed soon,” an official said.
The official added that the proposed 22-km elevated corridor would also accommodate an 8 km double-decker metro alignment as part of the proposed Koyambedu-Pattabiram metro line. “The widening project cannot be delayed indefinitely, and the matter is being looked into,” the official added.
According to official estimates, nearly 1.5 lakh vehicles use the stretch every day, with severe traffic congestion during peak hours at major junctions, including Korattur-Padi, Ambattur Industrial Estate, Ambattur Telephone Exchange, Ambattur Police Station, Thirumullaivoyal and Avadi bus stand. The presence of densely populated residential neighbourhoods and commercial establishments along the highway also complicates land acquisition. Currently, motorists take nearly 90-100 minutes to cross the Padi-Thiruninravur stretch.
NHAI, which had initially proposed widening the section into a six-lane highway with a width of 120-150 ft between 2008 and 2011, handed over the road to the state highways in 2012 due to land acquisition hurdles and stiff opposition from residents and traders. The presence of religious structures along the route was another challenge. The state highways could widen the road only to four lanes in 2013.
S Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Padi, said the widening project had remained restricted to four lanes for nearly 12 years. “The recent rains and damage to the road have further worsened commuting conditions,” he said.
Another regular commuter, S Logananthan of Avadi said traffic signals or stopping points for taking left and right turns are located almost every 300 m on the stretch, severely affecting traffic movement.