Port-Maduravoyal project on fast track as NHAI issues land acquisition notice

NHAI sources said that the land was being acquired for the construction of 13 exit and entry ramps which were included after the State government’s request and changes made to the alignment.

The original elevated road in 2010 had entry and exit ramps at Koyambedu, Spurtank Road and Swami Sivananda Salai apart from the Port and Maduravoyal. The revised double-decker will have ramps for entry and exit at 13 different locations including Chintadripet, Monteith Road, Binny Road, Spurtank Road, Aminjikarai police station, Kamaraj Salai, Sivananda Salai, College Road and Arumbakkam. The earlier design had only six entry and exit points.

“Land will also be required at Koyambedu where there’s a change in the alignment. Earlier, the elevated road from the Port would land before the Koyambedu grade separator and take off after Koyambedu Metro. Now it will be a fully elevated facility from Port to Maduravoyal,” NHAI sources said.

In the project, the upper deck will be for vehicles plying to the port while the lower deck will have city traffic. It will have 13 entry and exit ramps. Sources in NHAI said that they would be floating bids for the elevated expressway by June this year.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has been insisting on the signing of an MoU by all the stakeholders to prevent any future hurdle.

It’s worth mentioning that in 2012, the PWD issued a stop-work notice, which halted the construction works on the Cooum river. The Rs 1,800 crore project, which was launched in 2011, during the previous DMK regime, was halted by the subsequent AIADMK government citing obstruction to the flow of water in the Cooum river in 2012. “Soon MoU will be signed,” sources said.