CHENNAI: The vehicular traffic on the Tambaram-Perungalathur stretch of GST Road is expected to ease, as the state government has completed the works of the final 250-metre arm of the Perungalathur Road Over Bridge (ROB) towards the Tambaram Eastern Bypass on Gandhi Road, and is set to open it on Friday.
The 15-metre-wide, bidirectional arm is the last of the six arms of the ROB to be completed. Its construction had been delayed for nearly two years due to the presence of a 33/11 kV substation on the alignment. Four months ago, the state highways paid `32 crore to Tangedco to shift the substation and acquired the land. The final arm will be opened to traffic from Friday without a formal inauguration, the officials said.
With the opening of the four-lane arm, motorists from Tambaram, Mappedu, Thiruvanchery and nearby areas can travel towards Vandalur and Chengalpattu through the Perungalathur ROB, avoiding the GST Road and helping ease congestion on the arterial road. The new arm will allow motorists to reach the eastern parts of Tambaram via the Perungalathur ROB towards the Eastern bypass.
A senior highways official said on the Eastern bypass, nearly 1 km from the starting point of the ROB, the six-lane Gandhi Road narrows to two lanes for about 750 metres as it passes through a reserve forest area. “A proposal to provide alternative land in lieu of the forest land required for widening has already been approved by the Chengalpattu collector. The 750-metre stretch will be widened to six lanes. Once completed, motorists can directly reach Mappedu and Selaiyur through the ROB, reducing travel time,” the official said.
Construction of the ROB began in 2019 to replace Level Crossing Gate 32 between Tambaram and Vandalur railway stations near Perungalathur. The project was taken up at a cost of `235 crore. The elliptical-shaped rotary flyover on GST Road has six arms.
The first two arms, connecting Vandalur and Tambaram, were inaugurated in September 2022, while an arm towards New Perungalathur on SR Road was opened in June 2023. The two arms connecting Tambaram towards Vandalur were opened in August 2024.
Activist Dayanand Krishnan said during festivals, motorists returning to Chennai from Chengalpattu had to take a U-turn near Hindu Mission College to reach Chitlapakkam, Rajakilpakkam and other areas in eastern Tambaram. “Now, we can use the ROB to reach these areas without any hassle. However, the Camp Road junction still faces congestion during peak hours,” he said.
He further said the acquisition of forest land should be expedited to ensure smooth movement of vehicles from the ROB towards the Eastern bypass.
DPR tender for 5th phase of CPRR project cancelled
The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) has cancelled the tender for preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the fifth phase of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) project, covering the Singaperumalkoil-Poonjeri stretch. According to a notification issued by TNRDC on Wednesday, the tender was cancelled on administrative grounds.
The proposed 27.4-km CPRR stretch was planned to be developed at an estimated cost of `750 crore. The tender included carrying out pre-construction studies, including finalising the alignment and assessing social and environmental impacts, besides other aspects required for preparing DPR. TNRDC officials declined to comment on the reasons for the cancellation.
