Traffic on the Tambaram-Perungalathur stretch of GST Road is expected to ease with the opening of the final 250-m arm of the Perungalathur Road Over Bridge towards the Tambaram Eastern Bypass on Gandhi Road. The arm, completed by the state government, is scheduled to open to traffic on Friday without a formal inauguration. The 15-m-wide, bidirectional arm is the sixth and final arm of the bridge. Its construction was delayed for nearly two years because a 33/11 kV substation stood on the alignment. Four months ago, the state highways department paid Rs. 320 mn to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation to shift the substation and acquired the required land. The four-lane arm will allow motorists from Tambaram, Mappedu, Thiruvanchery and nearby areas to travel towards Vandalur and Chengalpattu through the bridge, avoiding GST Road. It will also provide access to the eastern parts of Tambaram through the Eastern Bypass. However, a six-lane section of Gandhi Road narrows to two lanes for about 750 m over a stretch near the bridge while passing through a reserve forest. The Chengalpattu collector has approved a proposal to provide alternative land for the forest land needed to widen the 750-m stretch to six lanes. Once the widening is completed, motorists will be able to reach Mappedu and Selaiyur directly through the bridge, reducing travel time. The project began in 2019 to replace Level Crossing Gate 32 between Tambaram and Vandalur railway stations and was taken up at a cost of Rs. 2.35 bn. The first two arms, connecting Vandalur and Tambaram, opened in September 2022. Another arm towards New Perungalathur on SR Road opened in June 2023, while the two arms connecting Tambaram towards Vandalur opened in August 2024. Separately, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company cancelled the tender for a detailed project report for Phase 5 of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road, covering the 27.4-km Singaperumalkoil-Poonjeri stretch. The proposed work was estimated to cost Rs. 7.5 bn, and the tender was cancelled on administrative grounds.