Chennai Port elevated road project revived

Chennai: Finally there is light at the end of the tunnel for the stalled Rs 1,815 crore Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Road with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami announcing that the high-profile project will be executed jointly by the Tamil Nadu and Union Government.

The breakthrough was achieved during a meeting between Mr Palanisami and Union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday morning in New Delhi.
The elevated corridor along Coovum river was stalled due to differences arising between the two governments on land acquisition, alignment of the project and various other issues.

“Union and State government would jointly take up Maduravoyal Scheme and start the work as soon as possible,” the Chief Minister said, three months after the government headed by his predecessor O.Panneerselvam wrote to the Union Government evincing interest in reviving the project with some changes in the alignment of the corridor.

The project, once completed, will usher in a paradigm shift in the way people commute to places like Marina Beach.

Once the 17-km long elevated corridor is complete, one can zip through the expressway to reach Marina from Maduravoyal in just 15 minutes. Sources said the two governments have agreed in principle to revive the project and will hold talks to discuss the modalities on executing the project.

They also said technical teams will meet and decide alignment of the project and whether there is any need to shorten the length of the corridor.

The project was stalled in 2012 when only 20 per cent of the work on the corridor was complete. During the meeting with Mr Gadkari, the Chief Minister also demanded that the Transport Ministry take up 700 kilometres of the State's roads under National Highways.

During his meeting with Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Chief Minister discussed the second phase of Chennai Metro, slum development and other welfare programmes.