CM Stalin Lays Foundation Stone For ECR Elevated Corridor

Chief Minister M K Stalin virtually laid the foundation stone for a four-lane elevated road corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi along the East Coast Road (ECR), intended to ease chronic congestion on one of Chennai's busiest arterial stretches. The 13-km corridor will pass through Thiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai, Vettuvankeni, Injambakkam, Sholinganallur and Panaiyur before reaching Uthandi.

The elevated structure has been designed to begin near the ECR–Lattice Bridge Road junction in Thiruvanmiyur and to terminate at Uthandi, with a carriageway width of 17.25 metres and a height of five point five metres to accommodate two-way traffic. Entry and exit ramps will be provided at key locations such as the Thiruvanmiyur regional transport office, Neelankarai and Akkarai, while existing roads in select stretches will be widened to six lanes to improve traffic dispersal across major junctions.

The corridor will be fitted with modern road infrastructure, including lane markings, traffic signage, reflective and solar-powered studs, noise barriers and safety barricades, and rainwater harvesting systems will be installed in spaces between pillars with continuous LED lighting along the elevated stretch. The project is being implemented by KNR Constructions Private Limited under the Hybrid Annuity Model and will be carried out by the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TNSHA) on a three-year construction period followed by five years of maintenance.

The estimated project cost is Rs 21,000 million (mn) and officials have described the scheme as the longest elevated road project in Tamil Nadu, expected to improve safety, travel speed and commuter convenience on the East Coast Road. A Division Bench directed a company that had challenged the tender process to file its appeal within five days and ordered the competent authority to decide the appeal within ten days, while directing that the work order should not be issued until the appeal is disposed of.

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