CHENNAI: In light of the proposed 14.6km four-lane elevated corridor from Jayanthi Theatre Junction to Uthandi on East Coast Road (ECR), and the modernisation of Thiruvanmiyur bus stand, the state highways department has expedited land acquisition for converting the 10.3 km stretch of ECR from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai in to six lanes.
Last week, nearly 20 buildings opposite Thiruvanmiyur bus stand were demolished to facilitate the widening work. Once the six-lane work is complete, construction of the elevated corridor is likely to be taken up by next year, according to senior highways officials.
The ECR stretch from LB Road-OMR intersection to Uthandi experiences heavy traffic congestion throughout the day, mainly due to vehicles travelling between densely populated residential areas along ECR.
According to the Indian Road Congress norms and highway guidelines, an elevated corridor should be constructed if 40% of the road traffic is heading straight without deviations. “ECR now meets the criteria for an elevated corridor,” an official said. The road carries about 1.2 lakh vehicles daily.
Official sources also told TNIE about 85% of the land acquisition is completed for widening the 8.7km stretch passing through Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, and Sholinganallur. “Civil works are underway for the 8.7km stretch, which involves constructing stormwater drains, culverts, and medians. For the remaining 1.6km in Thiruvanmiyur, 50% of the land acquisition work is complete, and document verification is underway for remaining buildings,” said an official.
The official added that the project was delayed due to issues in acquiring natham land parcels, as cases were filed seeking increased compensation and against alienation of government land. “Additionally, the ongoing ECR widening works are synchronised with two metro water projects, including laying of pipelines for a water supply scheme and a sewerage system. Only after metro water completes the work can we commence civil works for road laying.”
In March, the state highways department allocated `52 lakh to conduct a techno-feasibility study for developing the 14.6km four-lane elevated corridor. “During the study, vehicle density, two-way traffic, traffic movement to linked roads from ECR, and locations for down ramps will be studied. Once the six-laning project is complete, the works may be taken up next year,” added another official.
The current width of the four-lane ECR ranges from 16-23m and it is proposed to be expanded to 30.5m by adding an additional lane on each side, along with stormwater drain.