Chennai citizens are eagerly awaiting the completion of many urban infrastructure projects for years. We hope the following projects will complete in the year 2020! as we are eager to have them operational and live sooner than later.
Port Maduravoyil Dedicated Elevated Freight Corridor
| Project Cost | Rs 2400 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2009 |
| Lead Department | NHAI, Public Works Department |
The project was envisaged to allow free movement for freight arriving and leaving Chennai port 24 hours a day. This was largely due to the fact that most gates of Chennai Port Trust being closed due to city traffic except for Gate 0 in North Chennai.
Chennai Port has 24 gates, out of which cargo movement is restricted during the day time in 23 gates. This disadvantage for the Chennai port led to the planning of such a project.
This project has been marred in controversy due to alignment. This is because part of the 20km corridor falls on the Cooum River making CRZ clearance mandatory. Different governments have taken a divergent stand on the alignment, leading to delays. The project is finally moving forward after much delay. This will give the Chennai port a lot of value due to the 24/7 operating advantage.
The project initially had issues as part of land near Napier bridge that belonged to the Indian Navy (about 2000 sq.ft) along with staff quarters for 20 officers have to be razed for the project. Also, many slum settlements built by the Tamil Nadu slum clearance board also fall within the alignment. The Port Trust authority had agreed to compensate the affected parties adequately with land in an alternate location.
The next stage of the project is for the National Highways Authority of India to call for tenders for the project.
Chennai Metro Rail – Phase 1 Extension
| Project Cost | Rs 2200 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2014 |
| Lead Department | Chennai Metro Rail Limited |
Chennai Metro Rail, after almost a decade, since it started finally has opened till Washermanpet on one side and Airport on the other. Work to extend the line from Washermanpet to Thiruvotriyur is currently actively going on. We hope this project will come to closure this year.
Meanwhile Chennai Metro Rail Limited has already completed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase 2. As part of this network extension areas like Madhavaram on the North and Siruseri in the south will come under the metro coverage.
The 9 km extension from Washermanpet to Thiruvotiyur is being built at the cost of Rs 2200 Crores.
MRTS Phase 2 Extension
| Project Cost | Rs 725 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2008 |
| Lead Department | CMDA, Southern Railway |
The citizens are eagerly awaiting the MRTS Phase 2 linking Velachery with Alandur. By completing this section, the crucial connection between Metro and MRTS will be done. Unfortunately, the project is caught in a legal tangle due to acquisition. But for 500m all the area necessary for the line has been completed. Sources close to the project indicate that the issue arose due to the delay between the notification date and the final closure of the agreement. The land value has since significantly risen, and hence the cyclic nature of the problem. We hope this year, we would be able to arrive at a consensus and move forward. This will also give MRTS the much needed circular connectivity and the much-needed integration with another mass rapid system.
It has also been clarified by the Railways that after the completion of this crucial link the MRTS may be handed over to Chennai Metro Rail Limited.
The 5 km extension has 3 elevated stations with a total project cost of Rs 725 Crores.
Peripheral Ring Road
In a step towards making the 162-km-long Chennai Peripheral Ring Road a reality, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has included the proposal in its rolling plan for the year.
The semi-circular road project from Poonjeri in Kancheepuram district to Kattupalli in Tiruvallur district is likely to be taken up for implementation shortly.
Existing roads running to a length of 78.6 km, including the Singaperumal Koil-Sriperumbudur Road (approximately 23 km) and Sriperumbudur – Tiruvallur Road (18 km), as well as stretches from Thamaraipakkam to Periyapalayam (12 km) and Puduvoyal to Pulicat (6 km), and another 15 km to Kattupalli would be strengthened and widened as part of the project that would take six years to complete.
Velachery Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 90 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2016 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
This project is the building of the Twin Flyover at Vijay Nagar junction. One flyover that connects Velachery Bye Pass Road with the Velachery Tambaram Road near the MRTS station. The second flyover will connect Velachery Bye Pass Road with the Velachery Taramani Road near the baby Nagar junction.
After the ramp-up of the traffic at OMR, the first wave of intersections are starting to get too crowded and too fast. Vijay Nagar is the first major junction outside the OMR circle on the Tambaram main roads. This junction handles up to 43000 PCU per day of traffic.
The project has been repeatedly delayed due to land acquisition problems. After a settlement arrived between parties in 2017, the project picked up speed at the end of 2018. The latest is that the aggrieved party again has some inter-party dispute, a obtained a stay in the Madras High Court. Another major challenge has been the presence of Metro water pipes that require a significant stoppage of traffic which requires the permission of the Chennai Traffic Police.
Medavakkam Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 146 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2016 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
The project was planned in order to reduce traffic on the Velachery – Tambaram highways at the Medavakkam Junction. After the ramp-up of the traffic at OMR, the first wave of intersections is starting to get too crowded and too fast. Medavakkam is the first major junction outside the OMR circle on the Tambaram main roads like the Vijay Nagar Junction.
The project is 2.3 km in span length on the Velachery Tambaram Highway to allow for continuous movement of traffic on the Velachery – Tambaram Section.
The progress on the project has been slowed due to land acquisition challenges and contractors leaving the project midway due to various challenges.
Koyembedu Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 93 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2017 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
The project aims to create a 1.13 km flyover on the Inner Ring Road outside Koyembedu. The project was initially expected to be completed in March 2019.
According to sources familiar with the matter, it is estimated that the project has been delayed due to inter-department coordination. Due to this being a critical spot for the bus movement, the permission available to the contractor for performing critical material movement is largely restricted in the night.
The revised estimate for the completion fo the project is the end of 2020.
Pallavaram Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 83 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2015 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
The project was initially planned to be completed in 2018. The delay is largely due to the non-availability of river sand for the completion of the project. The initial cost of the project was pegged at Rs 65 Crores and has since been revised to Rs 83 crores due to the delay.
The project envisages creating a flyover on the Grand Southern Trunk Road (GST Road) at the junction of Sandhai Road, Kundrathur Main road and the GST Road.
The requirement of a workable alternate traffic management plan only further this delay.
Retteri Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 41 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2017 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
This project estimate was about Rs 30 Crores at the time of planning and since been revised to Rs 42 Crores due to the delays. The delays, in this case, has largely been due to utility issues and inter-department coordination. Additionally, the quality of the soil was not assessed leading to an unstable structure.
The project would allow for free movement of traffic from Moolakadai to Anna Nagar.
Keelkattalai Flyover
| Project Cost | Rs 64 Crores |
| Year of Starting of Construction | 2016 |
| Lead Department | Highways Department |
The main aim of this project was to ease traffic on the Pallavaram Thoraipakkam 200 feet radial road. The twin flyover would have allowed a continuous flow of traffic on both sides at this junction with the Madiapakkam Koot Road.
The main reason for the delay of the project was due to the abrupt stoppage of work by the existing contractors that required the project to be retendered. The significant traffic and planning of an alternate traffic movement plan also caused some delays in the project.