CHENNAI: The construction of elevated corridor for the Metro Rail route in north Chennai will be completed by November, said a CMRL official.
The nine-km phase-1 Metro Rail extension connects North Chennai with the rest of the city. The elevated corridor runs for about seven km from Wimco Nagar to Tondiarpet while the remaining route up to the Washermenpet station is underground.
‘’The construction of elevated corridor has neared completion and viaducts will be laid by November. Traffic on the Thiruvottriyur High Road on the Tondiarpet stretch will be made two-way immediately after that,’’ said the official.
Currently, vehicles going towards Tollgate are diverted from TH Road to the narrow Arunachaleshwar Kovil Street. During rush hour, the street is crammed with share autos and buses apart from private vehicles.
Almost all important buses such as 6D (Thiruvanmiyur to Tollgate) and 159 A (CMBT to Thiruvottriyur) ply through the route.
The diversion has also moved the Lakshmi Kovil bus stand which has caused discomfort to commuters. Moreover, hawkers and street-vendors have encroached on one lane of the TH Road ever since it was made one-way. The condition of the road too has become worse in recent times.
Pon Vel, a share auto driver, said traffic would ease if the road was restored to two-way system. However, he feared decrease in patronage for share autos once Metro train started functioning.
The Metro Rail corridor runs along the bus and share autoroutes in north Chennai. Also, the stations are expected to be kept at prime spots. For example, in Thiruvottriyur, the station is placed just near the bus terminus while it is the same at Tollgate as well.
In Tondiarpet, it is located very close to popular hospitals and government offices and in Old Washermenpet, it is placed near the popular Thegaraya College and Maharani Theatre.
Meanwhile, CMRL officials said the phase-1 extension should be operational by June next year. The Metro line connects two poles 31 km away — from Wimco Nagar to Chennai Airport.