Chennai charts out ₹2,400-cr elevated road plans

The National highway Authority of India (NHAI) has fast tracked the construction work on the 19-km expressway in Chennai at an investment of ₹2,400 crore, sources said, adding that the revised project report was submitted to NHAI's project unit in Chennai recently by L&T. As a matter of fact, there is no significant change in the alignment of the road and that the agency is sticking to the original plan including acquiring 14,000 sqm of defence land near Napier Bridge along the expressway alignment. It may be recalled that the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated expressway was halted by the previous government, citing environmental violations and after that project cost has been revised to ₹2,400 crore from ₹1,815 crore earlier. Land acquisition for the project has been initiated and authorities are in the process of floating a new tender for the revised program. Authorities confirmed that the existing structures (twin pillars) constructed for nearly 5km at Koyambedu and on the Cooum River banks in Chetpet would be used. As per the recommendations of the state government, a single column pier will be constructed instead of twin column. A detailed project report has also been prepared to extend the elevated expressway by 10km from Maduravoyal to Poonamallee as a part of the second phase of the project, sources added.