CHENNAI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said it will explore the feasibility of connecting service roads on either side of the 31km Chennai bypass from Madhavaram to Irumbuliyur. The connectivity is expected to decongest arterial roads in outskirts of the city.
A memorandum including this was given by State Highways Minister E V Velu to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Monday. The minister also requested completion of several pending highway projects in the state, linkage of existing service roads, and the provision of new connections in areas lacking service roads. The 31 km Chennai bypass begins at Irumbuliyur and ends at Madhavaram, passing through Kundrathur, Porur, Maduravoyal, Ambattur, and Pattaravakkam.
Currently, the service road starts near the Tambaram Road flyover on the Chennai-Trichy NH and ends at the Kundrathur-Pallavaram road near the Adyar River. Another segment of the service road begins at Sadanandapuram, along Adyar River banks, and ends at Mangadu Road. The Porur Link Road starts at Mount-Poonamallee Road and ends at Ambattur Industrial Estate. However, there is a discontinuity between Ambattur Industrial Estate and Pattravakkam.
There is no service road on one side from Madhavaram till Tambaram, except for a few km near Nolambur. As a result, two-wheelers use the main carriageway to travel from the northern parts of the city to Maduravoyal, Tambaram. NHAI officials noted that there is no service road on the 5 km stretch from Adyar River and Porur Lake.
Additionally, a service road could not be built on the stretch from Porur to Tambaram due to the passage of Veeranam pipeline. “Once the minister’s representation is received, we will appoint a consultant to explore options for connecting the missing service road links.
Constructing a bridge over the Adyar River is feasible,” said an official. The six-lane, 32-km access-controlled Chennai bypass became operational in 2009 and now carries about 1.3 lakh vehicles daily.