Rs 3,200 crore Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated expressway project gets Centre's nod

An expert appraisal committee of the Union Environment Ministry discussed the project on July 30. The committee approved it provided clearance is obtained from the National Board for Wildlife.
File photo of the Maduravoyal-Chennai Port elevated corridor (EPS)
File photo of the Maduravoyal-Chennai Port elevated corridor (EPS)

CHENNAI: The ambitious four-lane elevated expressway corridor of the Chennai Port Trust, which is aimed at easing city traffic and enabling free movement of freight to the port, has been granted Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance by the Union Environment Ministry.

An expert appraisal committee of the ministry had discussed the project in its meeting held on July 30. The committee approved the project provided prior clearance is obtained from the National Board for Wildlife.

Chennai Port Trust Chairman P Raveendran told The New Indian Express that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has agreed to take up the work on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.

"I expect tenders to be floated soon. This road would be a lifeline for the port. Currently, we are handling 2,000 vehicles per day and the volume is expected to increase in the coming days. The North Chennai roads, which are already congested, will not be in a position to handle such traffic. Once this corridor is operational, the entire port's traffic would be diverted here," he said.

As per official documents, the project corridor starts within the premises of Chennai Port and continues along the banks of Cooum river until Koyambedu. Beyond Koyambedu, the alignment follows along existing NH-4 and terminates after Maduravoyal junction. The total length of the road is 20.565 km.

"Along its path, the proposed corridor passes through major urban and commercial corridors in Chennai such as Chintadripet, Egmore, Aminjikarai, Nungambakkam, Arumbakkam, Koyambedu and Maduravoyal," officials said.

On the environmental front, the project is challenging as the road work involves construction of 635 piers, of which 311 fall in the CRZ area and 18 within the Cooum river. In addition, there will be a need for dismantling 17 existing piers in the CRZ area and 28 others to be dismantled outside the CRZ area.

Of the total 20.565 km, about 11 km is in the CRZ area. The total cost of the proposed project is Rs 3,204 crores. The Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNCZMA) has already recommended the project.

Initially, CRZ clearance for the construction of the elevated corridor from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal, covering a distance of 17.5 km, was accorded by the Union Environment Ministry in 2011.

However, due to legal issues, the Tamil Nadu government had directed to stop all construction activities in 2012. The NHAI had completed 9.8 km length of construction work of the road, which included a 4.8 km stretch along NH-4 and 5 km along the Cooum river in 2012.

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