Yet another road that provides connectivity to places in north Chennai is expected to be ready by February end.
The 17.4 km-long Minjur-Kattur-Thirupalaivanam Road that is being strengthened and widened at a cost of Rs. 36.64 crore will help residents of villages including Neidavoyal, Thiruvallavoyal and Thathamanji. It is being strengthened by the State highways department using World Bank funds.
K. Selvam, a resident of Minjur, recalled that before the repair work was taken up the road was in a bad shape. “Hundreds of school students use the road. On completion, the government must ensure that more buses are allowed on the road. Earlier, we had bus number 93 connecting Pulicat to Ennore Port via Minjur but the MTC withdrew the service saying they did not have enough collection on the route. Residents in this area would benefit greatly if that is revived,” he said.
The present 5.5-mt wide road, which is an intermediate lane road, will be made a 7-metre facility with two lanes. The work has been taken up on two stretches and a small bridge enroute is also being replaced with a new one. The height of the road has also been increased.
According to K. Komagan, a resident of Napalayam, the area was witnessing a spurt in real estate development. “Hundreds of companies have come up. The strengthening of the road will help residents commute comfortably to their places of work,” he said.
Minjur is 7 km from Napalayam on the Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetty Road and Thirupalaivanam is 6 kms from Pulicat.
Meanwhile, construction of a bridge across the Ennore Creek is also nearing completion. A new approach road of 1.2 km length is being formed along one bank of the Buckingham Canal on the northern side. Once completed, residents of Minjur can reach the bridge by travelling a distance of just 8 km. On the other side, the highways department is also widening the road leading to it from the Ennore Expressway.
