Source : Times of India | Dated : Jan 11, 2024
CHENNAI: Stuck in the usual traffic snarl on ECR, ever wished you could fly over the sea to reach the destination? It could well be a reality in a few years if the state govt’s plan to build a sea link takes shape. Highways minister E V Velu told the state assembly on Friday that the department is preparing a detailed project report for the 15km corridor from Light House to Neelankarai.
Official sources told TOI that this corridor, similar to Atal Setu harbour link in Mumbai, may be extended to Uthandi if the study finds it feasible. Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority will execute the project through a special-purpose vehicle with external funding. It will be a point-to-point link road with no exit or entry in between.
Jayakumar, Assistant Divisional Engineer, Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan wing of the highways department, said the bridge will start opposite DGP office on Loop Road and run along the shore until Thiruvanmiyur. “In Mumbai, the bridge connects across the sea. Here it’s along the sea. We will mostly look for land to construct the pillars wherever the beach is more than 30m wide. Where it is narrow, the bridge will move 10m-15m into the sea,” he said. The project has to get coastal regulation zone (CRZ)-1 clearance. CRZ rules allow construction of highways and trans-harbour sea links that don’t affect tidal flow.
The sea link will be cable-stayed with the weight of the deck supported by diagonal cables in tension running directly to one or more vertical towers 40metres apart. A govt survey done six months ago showed at least 50,000 vehicles move in the two directions on ECR every day.
“Going by this, we have a four-lane flyover plan. If the DPR suggests a wider road, we will make it six lanes,” said the official. This bridge will decongest traffic from ECR entering into core city areas like Mylapore, Mandaveli, Santhome, and Luz through Thiruvanmiyur by allowing vehicles to take the sea route.
The govt is also working on constructing an elevated four-lane flyover, 13.5km long and 17.2m wide, above ECR, from Uthandi to Thiruvanmiyur, once the ECR is expanded into six lanes. This project, estimated at 2,100 crore, will ease traffic to Thiruvanmiyur, Adyar, and Guindy. This project is being studied for funding opportunities by the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board.
The highways department is also linking Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road with ECR, giving access to Uthandi-Thiruvanmiyur corridor as well as the sea-link bridge at Neelankarai. About 900m of this 1.5km four-lane road has been constructed between OMR and Buckingham Canal.
This will help vehicles from GST Road to have direct access to ECR from Radial Road. Vehicles on Radial Road now take Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai and travel 7km to Sholinganallur and reach ECR near Akkarai.
E V Velu said the mode of funding for the project was under way as the state was discussing whether to seek funds from the Union govt or from private players or to manage with our own funds.
The minister said the stretch between Thiruvanmiyur and Akkarai would be widened by laying six lanes to ease the traffic on the ECR. Work would be undertaken by the newly formed the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority.