NHAI expedites ₹5,855-cr Chennai double-decker highway project

The National Highway Authority of India is expediting the construction of the 20.6 km double-decker elevated highway between Chennai Port and Maduravoyal, which has an estimated cost of ₹5,855 crore. The two-tier, four-lane elevated corridor is being built in four sections, with a 12 km section of the 20.6 km corridor being double-decked between Maduravoyal on the Chennai-Bengaluru highway and the Napier Bridge near the Chennai Port gate. The project is being executed on an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) model by the Chennai Port, the state government, and the central government. The first level of the corridor will be used by light vehicles traveling between Koyambedu and the Chennai Port, while the second level has been designed specifically for heavy motor vehicles traveling between the port and Maduravoyal. The corridor will have ramps for entry and exit at 13 different locations and is expected to significantly reduce the travel time for cargo traffic from the south or west region of the state, which currently takes about two hours to reach the port via the Outer Ring Road. Using the proposed elevated corridor, the journey will take approximately 45 minutes.