TN govt expedites ₹5,770-cr elevated road corridor

Tamil Nadu government has fast-tracked the Maduravoyal-Chennai Port Elevated Corridor involving ₹5,770 crore investment. State Finance Minister, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, informed that a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the NHAI, state government, Navy and Chennai Port to implement the mega project. The local government is committed to reviving and implementing the 20.6 km long double-decker elevated corridor as a detailed project report is under preparation by the NHAI. To decongest the Tiruvanmaiyur to Akkarai stretch of the East Coast Road (ECR), the State Highways department has allotted ₹135 crore for widening the four-lane road to six-lane at Neelangarai, Injambakkam and Shollinganallur. The sanction for widening the Tiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam and Palavakkam stretches has already been granted. The bottlenecks in handing over the East Coast Road beyond Mamallapuram to NHAI have been addressed and the work of widening the road into a four-lane will start soon. To prevent disruption of traffic owing to the inundation of causeways during the monsoons, the highways department will convert such causeways into high-level bridges by 2026 and ₹1,000 crore has been allocated for it.