CHENNAI: The city corporation has set the ball rolling for the construction of a new flyover in Velachery, at an estimated cost of Rs 231.86 crore.
According to civic body officials, the project, for which tenders have been floated this week, is expecting completion within two-and-a-half years of the issued order.
The 3000 metres long and 11 metres wide flyover has been proposed from Sardar Patel Road-Velachery Main Road junction to Guru Nanak College junction, following the budget announcement of the project this year.
Speaking to TNIE, a GCC official said the 30-month project includes time allotted for utility shifting and design. “The project requires 191 square metres of private land and 461 square metres of government land. A portion of 2,055 square feet private land, has been marked for acquisition and is included in the project timeline,” he said.
“The flyover will reduce congestion and travel time, benefitting over 2 lakh residents in Velachery, Guindy, and surrounding localities,” he added.
The undivided three-lane flyover will start at 300m after the Sardar Patel Road-Velachery Main Road junction and end at the Velachery Bypass spanning major traffic bottlenecks including the Race Course Road, Five Furlong Road, and Velachery Bypass Road junctions.
The civic body has proposed additional unidirectional down ramps - 5.5 metres wide at Five Furlong Road and 4 metres wide near Guru Nanak College to aid smoother flow of traffic. A 5.5-metre-wide service road and 1.5-metre-wide footpath has been proposed on both sides.
According to the civic body’s traffic survey, the Velachery Bypass-Sardar Patel Road junction (near Phoenix Mall) and the Five Furlong Road junction experience heavy traffic congestion. The peak hour traffic volume was recorded at 7,459 Passenger Car Units per hour at the Five Furlong Road junction and 7,742 PCU/hr at the Guru Nanak College junction.