CHENNAI: To alleviate traffic congestion on the Chennai-Tiruchy route, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to build a Greenfield expressway from Singaperumal Koil, which is 17 km from Tambaram, to Tiruchy or beyond. This proposed highway will begin at the under-construction Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) on GST Road and will run up to Tiruchy or any other location that connects with ports or major junctions.
Once operational, commercial goods from Thoothukudi, Madurai and other southern districts can be ferried to Ennore and Kattupalli ports through Chennai Peripheral Ring Road without entering Chennai city.
Official sources from NHAI’s regional office in Chennai told TNIE that multiple meetings have been conducted with consultants to assess the feasibility and other aspects of the project. “A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is currently being finalised. While the starting point of the Greenfield expressway has been determined, the terminating point is yet to be decided. It could either be Tiruchy or beyond,” said an official.
The new expressway is being planned considering the increased vehicle congestion on GST Road, future vehicle population, and transportation of commercial and other goods. As per official data, about 1.6 lakh vehicles pass through GST Road every day.
“Efforts are under way to reduce congestion on the Chennai-Tiruchy NH before commencing any further development works,” the official added.
Overbridges being built at 7 spots from Tambaram to Chengalpattu
“We have already planned to build four vehicular underpasses between Chengalpattu and Attur to provide U-turns for vehicles, aiming to eliminate accident black spots,” the official said.
To prevent pedestrians from entering the carriageway from Tambaram to Chengalpattu, foot overbridges are being built at seven locations. The official also said that the proposed elevated corridor from Perungalathur to Chengalpattu has not been abandoned and is still under consideration, taking into account factors such as vehicle volume and utility relocation.
With this, plans to widen the fourlane GST Road into eight-lane from Chengalpattu to Tiruchy have been shelved, explained another official.The 132.87 km six-lane access-controlled road is being built at a cost of Rs 15,626 crore.
The CPRR starts from Ennore port and ends at Poonjeri near Mahabalipuram on ECR, passing through Thatchur, Tiruvallur bypass, Sriperumbudur, and SP Koil.