Port-Maduravoyal elevated road: NHAI to finalise project report by 1 month end

Chennai: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is to complete Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Port-Maduravoyal elevated four-lane corridor by the end of September. NHAI officials say they would conduct a meeting with union surface ministry and will take up half-finished works in January 2019.

Sources at NHAI said the officials started DPR from February, 2018. Further, the officials keep informing the union road ministry of developments and the ministry has instructed them to speed up DPR and other procedural matters.

Meanwhile, motorists have urged the officials to speed up the work. “It has been almost 11 years since the government proposed the project. However, such a big project remains incomplete. Considering the fact that motorists suffer a lot, the government should take corrective measures to resume the project,” said a motorist.

“We will not remove any pillar and we have received all the necessary certificates from the state government,” said a NHAI engineer. Union surface ministry was also keen to take up this project, he added.

When contacted, a senior NHAI official said that measures were underway to resume the work. “Since there will be no change in the blueprint already prepared by officials, construction work will not be delayed. Further, we will soon hold a meeting in which stakeholders like union surface ministry, state highways and national highways would participate,” said the official.

Asked about resuming work, the official replied, “Work might start in January, 2019.” It may be noted that the project was taken up at a cost of Rs 1,800 crore in 2009. However, the state government did not provide environmental clearance certificate, as a sizeable number of pillars passed through the Cooum river.