In two months time, you will be able to drive from Vandalur to places including Avadi and Thirunindravur in just half-an-hour. This would become possible after the completion of the first phase of the Outer Ring Road in June. Already, around 85 per cent of the 30 km-long road connecting Vandalur on NH 45 with Nemilichery on NH 205 has been completed.
“Only portions of the road that connect minor bridges and flyovers are not yet laid. The road work will be finished by June. Motorists are already using the road and in places where the road surface is yet to be laid, they just take deviations,” said a source.
Radha Gopalan, a resident of Mudichur, said the ORR would help reduce travel time to the western suburbs of the city. “Now, it takes me about two hours to reach Avadi. Even if I take the Chennai Bypass, it takes an hour-and-a-half. Once the road is completed, this will come down by an hour,” she said.
Work on three major bridges, two minor bridges, 18 pedestrian subways, eight vehicular subways and three flyovers has been completed in the Rs. 1,081 crore-project.
Installation of bus shelters, construction of two truck bays and two wayside amenities is on. Of the 50 steel bus shelters, around 30 have been installed. Truck bays — each 250 m long and 125 m wide — are coming up at Malayambakkam and Thookunampet. They will have toilets, bathrooms and drinking water for drivers and cleaners.
The entire 30 km-road would have lighting. The facilities would be maintained by the concessionaire for a period of 17.5 years.
Work on three interchanges (a facility usually with a grade separator and ramps to permit traffic on the highway to pass through the junction without cutting across any other traffic stream) at Vandalur, Nazarathpet and Nemilichery are progressing well. A test run is expected to be completed on the one at Nemilichery.
