10 arterial roads in Chennai to be widened

Vehicle population in the Chennai Metropolitan Area has crossed 32 lakh. Over 1,000 new vehicles are hitting the roads daily.These choking statistics on multiplying vehicles and dwindling road space have forced the state highways department to widen (four-lane) ten arterial roads in the city outskirts. Prominent roads including East Coast Road, Mount-Medavakkam High Road and Poonamallee Town Road are to get more breathing space. Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road, Medvakkam-Sholinganallur Road, Vanagaram–Ambattur Road, Thirumazhisai–Tiruvallur Road, Poonamallee Town Road, Madhavaram–Redhills Road and, Ernavoor Toll Gate Road in the suburbs besides a stretch of Poonamallee High Road in the city are also to be widened to ease the traffic congestion. Official sources say 80% of work on Vandalur–Kelambakkam Road to make it four lane has been completed. However, delay in land acquisition are a bump in the four-laning of many roads including Mount–Medavakkam Road and Madhavaram–Redhills Road where work has commenced. State highways department plans to make part of East Coast Road – from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai village in Sholinganallur – six-lane road. Marking of lands in Palavakkam, Eenjambakkam and Neelankarai which need to be acquired for road widening has been completed while the work is yet to be done in Thiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam and Sozhinganallur areas.“We need a riding surface of 15 metres for a four-lane road and 30 metres in case of a six-lane road. But land acquisition, shortage of manpower and lack of co-ordination between highways and revenue departments contribute to the delay in several works,’’ sources said.It was decided a year ago, officials say, to widen the East Coast Road. But survey and marking of lands have been delayed due to a myriad reasons.The state government has received a proposal to widen the Poonamallee High Road for half-a-km distance in Aminjikarai area. Two days ago, the highways department removed encroachments along the Cooum river in Aminjikarai to construct a new bridge across the river at a cost of Rs five crore.