A 7-year-old plan to construct an elevated corridor on the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road to reduce congestion will now fructify between an 18.4 km stretch from near the Kilambakkam terminus to Urapakkam. Entry/exit ramps will be provided on the six lane wide corridor at three locations – near Iyyancherry junction, Kattankulathur and Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) crossing.
Official sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the new corridor will start exactly opposite the Kilambakkam terminus and run along the median of the National Highway that connects Chennai with Tiruchi and beyond. The corridor, which will reduce accidents in 14 blackspots, will cross the CPRR at the second level.
The old plan from a corridor from Tambaram to Vandalur had to be changed as several structures including the Vandalur flyover, and road over bridges at Vandalur, Perungalathur and Tambaram will be in the way.
“These structures cannot be demolished and reconstructed to make way for this corridor. The detailed project report is ready and will be revised shortly. No land acquisition would be involved in this proposal that is likely to cost around ₹3,500 crore,” said an engineer associated with the project.
The road suffers traffic congestion almost on a daily basis since there is no segregation of local traffic and the long-distance travelers. It is not an access-controlled road as it has been constructed and widened over a period of time. “Once the elevated corridor is constructed, local traffic will remain at-grade making it safer for pedestrians and people living in the residential localities that have developed along the road over the years,” said a traffic expert.
During festival days like Pongal and Deepavali when a large population travels to their hometowns and back, vehicular movement slows down considerably. “The jam runs to several kilometres. There are times when pedestrians and two-wheelers cannot cross the road. But we have learnt to bear with the traffic since this happens during the festive season and roads are meant for people to travel,” said Vatsan, who takes the road often.
Published – January 30, 2025 10:13 pm IST