Chennai Corpn floats tender to design urban, waterfront space on Marina Loop Road

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has planned to recruit a consultant for infrastructural development on Marina Loop Road. The development will include creating provisions for recreational activities like cycling along the beach. A tender has been floated to undertake the study of the road at an estimated cost of Rs 17.70 lakh.

The Loop Roads connects the Light House junction with the Greenways Road junction, stretching 2.55 km. With the ongoing Metro rail works along Kamarajar Salai, the Loop Road is vital to reach areas like Santhome and Pattinappakkam. The stretch houses numerous fisherfolk households and seafood vendors.

As the road adjoins the service road of Marina Beach, it sees high vehicle and foot traffic. Utilising the road’s momentum, the Chennai Corporation has planned to carry out a redevelopment project to provide a high-value urban waterfront space while addressing the environmental aspects of waterfront development.

The tender notifies that the local body has identified problems like irregular parking, heavy traffic, and unregulated vending zones, which create more issues than they contribute to the economy or the lives of fishermen and the common public, prompting the decision to conduct a study on the developmental projects expected to be carried out on the Loop road.

The project entails planning and designing designated parking and recreational spaces within the existing width of the road to ensure compliance with the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and National Green Tribunal (NGT) regulations. Pedestrian pathways and green areas that invite residents to gather and interact are among proposed developments, noted a tender copy from GCC.

The Chennai Corporation has instructed the consultant to conduct a total-station survey to prepare base plans for improving the streets. The survey must cover all streets in the package. In the topography survey, all the above-ground utilities include electricity overhead lines, utility and feeder boxes. They should compile the area’s street activities, including housing developments and shopping areas.

A senior GCC official said a parking study would be undertaken to identify parking patterns, demand and occupancy rates. The survey will be conducted for an hour in the morning and evening during the peak hours in the area. If the street falls under the city’s parking management system, the consultant must consult with GCC to coordinate the design of parking slots with the Parking Management Plan.