Work to expand two stretches of Velachery-Tambaram road will take another six months to complete. The 16 km-long arterial road that carries over 50,000 vehicles a day connects a large number of residential localities.
Sources in the Highways Department said that at present a total of 1.8 km of road at Pallikaranai and a 2 km stretch at Santhoshapuram and Sembakkam were being widened into six lanes. In Pallikaranai, Chennai Metrowater pipeline shifting is currently under progress. The total cost of the project that includes construction of stormwater drains on either side was ₹20 crore. The road is four lanes wide throughout except for a 300 m stretch.
“The work to make it into a six-lane facility began in a phased manner after vehicular traffic exceeded the requirement for four-lanes. Widening is being taken up on stretches where land is available in the form of government land or that owned by the Highways Department. Encroachments have been removed on both these stretches and work is on,” the official explained.
The entire widening is expected to be completed in two years time when the road would have six lanes with service lanes and drains on either side.
Heavy traffic
S. Karthik, a resident of Medavakkam, said that the Velachery-Tambaram road witnessed heavy traffic even on Sundays since there were hundreds of commercial establishments on both sides. “Parking space must be managed properly by the police and local bodies. Also, encroachments should not be allowed to use up road or pedestrian space. Already, the roadsides are encroached by vendors,” he said.
A former official of the Highways department said that it would do well for the government to develop elevated parking spaces near shopping centres. “Similarly, roads leading to this arterial road too need to be widened to ensure smooth traffic flow. Grid road development can be looked at in the residential localities,” he added.
