CHENNAI: The 10.3-km Madhavaram - Cholavaram NH stretch handles a daily traffic volume of 80,000 to 95,000 passenger cars, qualifying it for a 10-lane highway under Indian Roads Congress guidelines. However, owing to land acquisition issues and traders’ opposition, it remains as a four-lane stretch, causing severe hardship to commuters for over a decade.
Similarly, the 22-km stretch between Padi and Thiruninravur, where six-laning was dropped in 2012 due to traders’ opposition, has become a major traffic bottleneck for vehicles heading to Tirupati and for freight movement to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Not to mention, the earlier plan to widen the Madhavaram-Nallur toll plaza section to six lanes was abandoned in 2013 following strong opposition from local traders. A subsequent proposal to construct a 10.2 km six-lane elevated corridor covering the entire stretch has remained indefinitely postponed.
These are some of the major road widening projects that have been held up indefinitely in North Chennai. Residents, along with truckers’ associations and industrial groups, allege that road infrastructure projects have been consistently met with administrative inaction. Locals add that both TN and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have failed to prioritise long-pending road projects in North Chennai - especially on routes leading to Andhra Pradesh.
Administrative inaction
Official documents revealed that in 2018, as part of a plan to eliminate seven identified accident black spots, NHAI prepared a draft Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a 10.2 km elevated corridor from the Chennai Bypass at Madhavaram to the Nallur toll plaza, where it would merge with the Chennai Outer Ring Road.
The proposed corridor would pass through five major and five minor junctions. The plan involved acquiring two hectares of government land and 1.8 hectares of private land, apart from utilising 32.43 hectares of existing road width, at a cost of Rs 1,893 crore.
As the proposed alignment passes through the regulatory boundary of a prehistoric settlement site from the megalithic period located within Puzhal jail premises, NHAI had written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) three times - between 2020 and 2021 - seeking a no-objection certificate.
NHAI has now decided to shelve the project and hand it back to the state for the latter to take a call on its future. “Once the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways de-entrusts this section, it will be handed over to the state government, after which it will be up to the state to take forward the proposal for an elevated corridor,” an NHAI official stated.
Lack of cooperation
The Madhavaram-Nallur section has turned into another congestion hotspot, where motorists heading to Tada and other parts of Andhra Pradesh spend nearly 70-90 minutes during peak hours to cover just 10km. Citing lack of cooperation from the state government, NHAI has now decided to hand over the 10.2 km section to the State Highways department, effectively shelving the long-pending proposal for the elevated corridor between Madhavaram and the Nallur toll gate (Cholavaram).
S Suresh Babu, president of the Bilakuppam Village Welfare Association, said that crucial road-widening projects in North Chennai are not given priority. “NHAI is currently building the `5,570 crore Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway in one of the city’s most congested areas. It has also invited bids for a six-lane, 8.14 km elevated corridor between Maduravoyal and Poonamallee at a cost of `1,241 crore. If such projects are feasible there, why can’t an elevated corridor be constructed between Madhavaram and the Nallur toll gate?” he asked.
Babu further said that emergency vehicles, including ambulances, government buses, and other transport vehicles from Gummidipundi, are forced to crawl for nearly two hours in heavy traffic to reach Central and other parts of the city.
Stuck in red tape
The four-lane Madhavaram - Cholavaram Section (10.3 km) stretch experiences severe traffic congestion on a daily basis
Motorists spend nearly 70-90 minutes to cover the 10.3 km stretch during peak hours due to heavy congestion
The proposed elevated corridor project has been shelved after NHAI decided to hand over the stretch to the State Highways Department
A similar 22 km stretch between Padi and Thiruninravur was handed over to the State Highways in 2012 due to land acquisition issues
