Tamil Nadu gets over Rs 1 lakh crore infrastructure projects from Centre

Chennai: Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari who announced a slew of programmes for Tamil Nadu informed that the Centre has approved over Rs 1 lakh crore infrastructure projects for TN including three elevated corridors for Chennai and bus ports at Madurai, Coimbatore and Salem that will be on par with airports.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing various projects along with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami here on Thursday, Gadkari announced Rs 40,000 crore worth of road and highway projects approved on Thursday’s meeting.

He said three new elevated corridors have been approved to decongest the traffic in Chennai and they include Tambaram-Chengelpattu (for Rs 2,250 crores), Poonamalee-Maduravoyal corridor (Rs 1,500 crores) and the Tiruvallur corridor (Rs 1,000 crore). Also, he said the Tambaram-Vandalur, Vandalur-Guduvanchery section of the highway would be upgraded to 8 lane highway at a cost of Rs 72 crores.

The Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway is being taken up at a projected cost of Rs 20,000 crore to give impetus to industrialisation. He urged the State to earnestly take up land acquisition, shifting of utilities to help timely starting of the project.

The minister said to ease the congestion in the extended suburban areas of Chennai, approval has been given for six laning of the Koyambedu-Poonamalee-Wallajahpet road at a cost of Rs 1,500 crores.