Highways Dept Calls for DPRs to Ease Congestion on 3 Chennai Roads
The studies will assess engineering feasibility, traffic requirements, land acquisition, utility shifting and project costs before the government decides on their implementation
CHENNAI: The state highways department has invited bids to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for three infrastructure upgrades aimed at easing traffic congestion on key arterial roads in north Chennai and Koyambedu, including the widening of two bridges and the extension of a grade separator.
The proposed interventions cover the Vyasarpadi grade separator and Basin Bridge on Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road, and the bridge across the Cooum river on the Inner Ring Road, near Koyambedu.
The studies will assess engineering feasibility, traffic requirements, land acquisition, utility shifting and project costs before the government decides on their implementation.
The three consultancy assignments have a combined estimated cost of Rs. 52.60 lakh, with each study scheduled for completion in five months.
On GNT Road, the department proposes to extend the existing Y-shaped grade separator on the Perambur side, from Vyasarpadi Market towards Ambedkar College. The existing road overbridge branches towards Sathyamurthy Nagar and Vyasarpadi Market, but the carriageway on the market side is only 6 to 7 metres wide, creating a bottleneck.
The stretch serves Stanley Hospital, medical educational institutions, railway stations, goods sheds, commercial establishments and small industries, besides carrying freight traffic to Chennai Port. The proposed extension is expected to improve connectivity and reduce peak hour travel time.
The second study concerns Basin Bridge, where the existing carriageway is just 6 metres wide. The bridge crosses the Buckingham Canal, Basin Bridge railway station and Otteri nullah, and traffic queues reportedly extend beyond 1 km during peak hours.
The DPR will examine the feasibility of widening the bridge while maintaining the required clearances above the maximum flood level and railway tracks.
The third proposal involves widening the Cooum river bridge on Jawaharlal Nehru Road, also known as Inner Ring Road, near the Koyambedu-Anna Nagar West intersection.
The corridor connects Guindy, Vadapalani, Koyambedu, Anna Nagar, Padi and Kolathur. However, the bridge’s effective carriageway width of 18.8 metres constricts traffic, resulting in queues between Koyambedu junction and the VR Mall-Thirumangalam junction during peak hours.
