| Work Detail |
Several government agencies have announced and sanctioned funds for seven elevated corridors in Chennai, but progress on five of these projects has stalled for years despite financial backing. The delays are costing the city significantly, with the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor alone resulting in a daily loss of ?22 lakh.
Key stalled projects include the 27-km corridor between Chengalpet and Tambaram by the NHAI, and the 10-km Tamil Nadu Highways Department project between Light House and Guindy on Santhome High Road and Sardar Patel Road. The delays are largely attributed to legal disputes over acquiring private land necessary for construction.
Resident activists argue that the government continues to announce projects without conducting thorough feasibility studies. For instance, since 2008, there have been frequent announcements about a four-lane elevated expressway on East Coast Road from Thiruvanmiyur to Kottivakkam or Akkarai. However, no feasibility report has been released, and efforts to widen the road to six lanes have faced numerous delays, according to D. Srirangan from Kottivakkam.
The two projects currently under construction, on Anna Salai (between Saidapet and Teynampet) and Poonamallee High Road (Chennai Port-Maduravoyal), are progressing slowly. The Chennai Port-Maduravoyal project, which began in 2009, remains at the basic stage, with costs escalating by nearly 300%. The current estimate for the double-decker project stands at ?5,855 crore.
S. Yuvraj from the TN Truck Owners’ Association criticized the project for wasting public funds, noting that some of the NHAI-built pillars now need demolition due to design changes. The association has called for alternative access routes to the port, citing heavy congestion on the ongoing construction stretch along the Cooum River.
Experts estimate that these delays result in a daily loss of ?22 lakh due to fuel costs, productivity losses, and wasted time. They warn that if these projects are not completed promptly, they may become wasteful expenditures. K.P. Subramanian, a retired professor of Transportation Engineering & Urban Planning at Anna University, noted that while elevated corridors were planned based on traffic projections, rapid vehicular growth and changing patterns might render them obsolete by completion. He also highlighted the Kathipara grade separator as a successful example of well-timed infrastructure improvement.
Subramanian criticized elevated corridors for their high capital costs, increased emissions, and restrictions on bus usage, which could encourage more private vehicle use and merely shift congestion issues rather than solving them. |
