CHENNAI: State Highways Minister EV Velu on Monday announced that the proposed 15-km elevated corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi on East Coast Road (ECR) will start from the Tidel Park junction and end at Uthandi. The corridor will have entry and exit points at LB Road junction, Thiruvanmiyur RTO, Neelankarai, Injambakkam and Akkarai to allow residents along the route to access the elevated structure.
The project is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 1,075 crore, of which Rs 940 crore will be spent for land acquisition. Velu, along with senior highways officials, inspected the ongoing six-lane expansion of 10-km stretch of ECR from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai.
Speaking to reporters, the minister said the widening work will be completed by April 11 next year. “Land acquisition works are under way at Sholinganallur, Palavakkam, Kottivakkam and other villages and funds are being distributed”.
He noted that about 69,000 vehicles use the 15 km stretch of ECR between Tidel Park and Uthandi, which has 17 traffic signal junctions and 347 minor roads connecting to ECR on both sides. Due to heavy traffic congestion, it currently takes 45 to 60 minutes to cover the distance.
Even if the ECR is widened into multi-lane roads, congestion is expected to continue due to the high traffic volume. Therefore, the elevated road was proposed to reduce travel time. “Once the elevated structure is completed, the travel time will be reduced by 20 minutes,” Velu added.