Project report for elevated road on OMR ready.

With the detailed project report (DPR) ready for an elevated road on Rajiv Gandhi Salai and the Chennai Metro Rail planning a route on the road, residents and IT employees want a solution soon for traffic woes.

The road is used by over 1.5 lakh vehicles on a daily basis - a large chunk of this being cars and two-wheelers.

“It has been over five years since five flyovers were announced for the road up to Siruseri. Then, the number was brought down to two. It was changed to a Bus Rapid Transit System and now it is the Metro Rail. But, we do not know when the facilities will become a reality to relieve us from unending traffic jams,” said B. Kannan, a resident of Thoraipakkam.

Many buses belonging to educational institutions and IT companies drive in a rash manner, said another resident.

Sources in Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, which manages the road, said the DPR for an elevated road over the IT Corridor had been finalised.

“The first phase, which will be 17.7-km long, will take off just after the Tidel Park junction and land at Siruseri. The four-lane wide facility would have entry/exit points at SRP Tolls junction, MGR Salai junction, Pallavaram-Thoraipakkm road junction, Sholinganallur junction and at Siruseri,” explained an official.

₹2,500-crore project

The elevated road would cost ₹2,500 crore and take three years. It would be taken on the median so as to minimise land acquisition. A subway would come up at the Tidel Park junction to reduce snarls at the point.

Sources in TNRDC said they were in discussion with Metro Rail as they too were proposing to construct a line on the IT Corridor.

Officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited said a detailed project report has been sent to the government for approval.

K. Purushothaman, senior director, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Nasscom, said many mid-level employees from Bengaluru and Hyderabad were not willing to come to Chennai due to the condition of the road.

“The road was laid to attract investments in the IT sector. But, till now infrastructure development has not matched the income from the sector,” he said, adding that IT companies which employed over 3.5 lakh professionals along Rajiv Gandhi Salai alone were looking for an immediate solution.

R. Anandan, president of OMR and ECR Sand Lorry Owners’ Association, said over a thousand lorries crossed the IT Corridor every day.

“Though we pay toll like other vehicles, our movement is restricted by the police. Space on service lanes is occupied by shops and by vehicles for parking. The police have also blocked service lanes in many stretches,” he said.

THE HINDU