Chennai to get 400 World Class Roads

Corporation of Chennai went several steps better than itself, unveiling ambitious plans for the city’s transport infrastructure.
After announcing last June that it would upgrade 30 city roads to world class standards, the civic body has upped the stakes and the numbers: Chennai will soon have 400 roads to rival the best across the globe, mayor Saidai S Duraisamy said.
Speaking at a workshop organised by Chennai City Connect, an NGO in transport issues, and Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) here, Duraisamy said the corporation has set itself a four-year deadline to upgrade the 400 roads.
Duraisamy said the roads would have better facilities for pedestrians, especially the disabled.
Corporation officials said they have started work on 71 roads.
Chennai City Connect coordinator Raj Cherubal said the NGOs organised the workshop to discuss with corporation engineers the upgrades and how they would be carried out.
Around 50 corporation engineers participated in the workshop. The participants were divided into six groups and studied audits of footpaths in various parts of Egmore and traffic in these places. Disability Rights Alliance member Vaishnavi Jayakumar said the group suggested various steps to improve facilities for the disabled. Officials said the upgrade would consist of three components: traffic improvement, streetscaping and improvement of public seating.
ROAD TO CHANGE
Corporation officials said tenders had been floated to upgrade 71 city roads to world class standards from February. The proposed footpath area will be divided into three zones:
FRONTAGE ZONE: Space for roadside activities, like hawking
PEDESTRIAN ZONE: About 2m wide with no obstructions or railing, for easy pedestrian access. Underground utility infrastructure, like power cables and telephone cables may be moved overhead
FURNITURE ZONE: Space for benches, bus stops, signs and easy access to shops