Traffic at Kilambakkam during festival season
“This expressway will be about 15-km long, and help vehicles from western and southern districts to reach Chengalpet faster. As it cannot be done due to the presence of hillocks, NHAI has proposed to build it till Mahindra City. Highways minister Aadhav Arjuna announced this project in the assembly without going into the specifics.
NHAI officials said Tamil Nadu govt wanted to expand this expressway beyond Paranur as well. So, they wanted us to plan for the metro too,” the official said, adding that the proposal has been sent to Centre. It’s doable,” the official said. He said it takes upto three hours to enter the city from Chengalpet. Vehicles from Tiruvannamalai too will get an access at Uthiramerur,” the official said. NHAI said the expressway could further be expanded to Tindivanam and beyond if required either independently or as part of the Chennai-Trichy expressway, which was taken up by chief minister C Joseph Vijay during the Niti Aayog meet.
“State govt wanted a double-decker metro corridor too, as many people from the IT sector use the stretch. At present, these people use the suburban Chengalpet line. The expressway will be opened first, and they can place the girders without hindering the traffic.
Besides this, NHAI has also proposed widening the 68km stretch from Chengalpet to Tindivanam into a 10-lane corridor (six lanes with two service lanes). Once finished, this will cater to traffic demand for Chennai’s entry for the next 30 years,” the official said. “This project, however, is yet to get environment clearance as there are key hillock areas after Paranur. We hope to get it within this year.