East Coast Road to get elevated corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi

Since the carriageway of ECR is being widened to a uniform 30 m, land acquisition will not be required for the Thiruvanmiyur-Uthandi elevated road.
| Photo Credit: M. KARUNAKARAN

State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday announced that the newly formed Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TANSHA) will construct an elevated corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi along East Coast Road at an estimated cost of ₹2,100 crore.

Presenting the State Budget for 2025-26, the Minister said this 14.2 km-long, four-lane wide road was to address the growing traffic congestion in the city. This will be the first project of TANSHA, which was proposed by the State government last year.

The State Highways Authority Act, 2024, received the assent of the Governor on the March 7, 2024. According to sources, IAS officers and engineers have been appointed to TANSHA. The project is likely to take four years to construct and will be of a simple design, likely similar to the 10-km elevated corridor being constructed between Coimbatore and Avinashi.

Since the carriageway of ECR is being widened to a uniform 30 m, land acquisition will not be required for this elevated road. This also means that traffic flow management will not be an issue during construction. The detailed project report (DPR) is nearing completion, and the location of the ramps is to be finalised, a source said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thennarasu also announced a feasibility study to form a new four-lane road running to a length of 28 km via Thirukazhukundram to connect Karunguzhi in Chengalpattu with Mamallapuram. This, he said, would help reduce traffic congestion on Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway.

To ease traffic congestion in municipalities, cities, and towns, the work to construct 14 bypass roads is set to commence this year at a combined cost of ₹1,713 crore. These will include a 12.5-km Coimbatore Western Bypass at an estimated cost of ₹348 crore and the 12.4-km Tirunelveli Western Bypass at ₹225 crore.

Additionally, a DPR will be prepared for the proposed 48-km-long Madurai Outer Ring Road. A total of 10 lakh trees of native species such as neem, Pungai (Indian beech), jamun, and tamarind will be planted, geotagged, and systematically maintained, he added.