CHENNAI: Residents of South Chennai haved urged the government to complete the Tambaram Eastern Bypass project which proposes to connect Rajakilpakkam with Peerkankaranai on the GST Road. The project has been pending for over a decade now.
“The project once complete will ease traffic in Perungalathur and reduce travel time to Southern districts. Also, it is a boon for those living in South Chennai including Velachery, Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Thiruvanmiyur and Adyar among others, as they can directly reach the bypass by taking a right from Medavakkam. Now, since all vehicles pass through Perungalathur, traffic jams are inevitable,” said E Varathan, a resident of Madipakkam.
The bypass for Tambaram was proposed in the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) first master plan 1979 to help vehicles from outside the city avoid railway line and Irumbuliyur Junction, which was infamous for accidents then. The State government sanctioned `1 crore as a token amount for land acquisition in 2004 for the 9.3-km road that runs from Peerkankaranai on the GST Road to Rajakilpakkam on the Velachery-Tambaram Road.
However, tackling the encroachments and issues in land acquisition have inordinately delayed the project.
“Recently, during Pongal, there was severe traffic jams near Perungalathur all throughout the day. Perungalathur and Tambaram are usually very crowded during the festivals,” said R Krishna of East Tambaram.
The bypass road passes through Madambakkam, Mappedu, Agaramthen, Thiruvanchery and Nerkundram villages. The first phase of the project was completed in 2014, where the 20-feet stretch between Selaiyur and Mappedu was widened into a 150-feet wide six-lane highway at a cost of Rs 25 crore. Second phase is being undertaken now.
When contacted, an official said land acquisition is still under process at Rajakilpakkam, Madambakkam and Perungalathur villages. The road work in Puthur and Nerkundram villages is in progress.