Separate lanes set up to avoid congestion at Chennai airport

CHENNAI: In order to reduce vehicular traffic congestion at the Chennai airport, separate lanes have been established for both international and domestic terminals along with additional counters for collecting vehicle fares.

Over the last two years, the Chennai airport had been operating with various restrictions, including airport closures, reduced number of flights, dip in passengers, medical screening for passengers, mandatory masks and social distancing.

Currently, more than 12 thousand vehicles are reportedly arriving and departing through the same area, causing congestion at the vehicle toll collection points. It is said that some of the vehicles leave without paying tolls.

In order to reduce congestion, new routes are being set up for the vehicles to enter and exit through different routes for both domestic airport terminal and international airport terminal separately. These new vehicular routes have been established near Chennai Airport Police Station and counters have also been set up separately to collect fares for vehicles.

It is expected that traffic congestion at Chennai airport will be greatly reduced by establishing separate routes. As a result, there will be no more vehicular traffic congestion especially at the international terminal at night and early morning, according to the airport officials.

Also, the toll collection counters on the newly established routes are yet to become functional. Officials say these new toll collection counters will also come into operation when the six-storey car parking facility, which has already been built at a cost of Rs 250 crore, can accommodate 2,000 vehicles, becomes operational.