Chennai bypass snippets

A three-km-long elevated corridor, a part of the Chennai bypass project, is taking shape, with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) having completed about 70% of the work. According to official sources in the Union road transport ministry, construction of all the 276 pillars on both sides have been completed and work on road portion of the elevated highway is in progress. However, the completion of a road-overbridge at Pattaravakkam, which is a part of the project, is likely to take some more time.Chennai bypass is an expressway being implemented for a total distance of 32 km to interlink all the four national highways around the city. The first phase of the Rs 405-crore project, linking Grand Trunk Road (NH – 45) along Tambaram with Kolkata High Road (NH -5) along Madhavaram, was completed and inaugurated in April. And the second phase work on connecting links to Madhuravoyal and Madhavaram via Ambattur, Pattaravakkam, Menambedu and Kathirvedu, are in progress. The elevated corridor which is being constructed from Ambattur Industrial Estate to Pattaravakkam is a major and expensive part of the second phase. “The project, started in May 2005, is being funded by National Highways Authority of India. Most of the land acquisition for the project has been completed. Tambaram to Maduravoyal, a 19-km long stretch, which was earlier a two-lane road, has now been converted into a four-lane road. The second phase covers a 13-km distance. On its completion, the expressway, a toll road, would reduce traffic congestion on roads in the city limits,” said an official in the ministry.On completion of the project, vehicles coming from Tiruchi (NH-45) and other southern districts can reach Bangalore Road (NH-4), MTH Road (NH 205) and Kolkata High Road (NH 5) without entering the city. However, officials said they couldn’t fix an exact time limit for completion of the project as some of the technical issues are to be sorted out. Cost of the 32-km long Chennai Bypass Project is Rs 405 crore .Second phase of the highway from Madhuravoyal to Madhavaram is in progress. Three-km long elevated highway via Ambattur Industrial Estate is in progress at a cost of Rs 100 crore