TNRDC to close down Navalur toll plaza on Rajiv Gandhi Salai

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation has submitted a proposal to the state government to close the toll plaza at Navalur on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, popularly known as Old Mahabalipuram Road due to ongoing Chennai Metro Rail phase-2 works and numerous representations from the local residents associations to stop the collection of user fee at the toll plaza.

"We have sent a proposal to the government to close the Navalur toll plaza. It will be closed after getting the due approval, " a TNRDC official said.

Already four toll plazas at plazas at Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Medavakkam – Sholinganallur Road and ECR- OMR Link Road were closed in August 2021 for the metro rail works.

TNRDC officials said that due to the ongoing metro rail works, the traffic movement has been affected owing to barricading. "Besides, we have been receiving numerous petitions from the local residents seeking to close the toll plaza, " the official said, adding on average, the Navalur toll plaza collects user fees amounting to about Rs 6.5 lakh a day.

Harsha Koda of the Federation of OMR Resident Associations welcomed the TNRDC decision to close the Navalur toll plaza. "The long pending issue will finally find closure thanks to the relentless efforts of all FOMRRA volunteers and Tirupporur MLA S. S. Balaji, " he said, adding that over the last five months, the residents of OMR have requested the government multiple times to remove the Navalur toll plazas as road space and service roads have been shrinking because of the ongoing metro rail work.

CMRL's corridor 3 from Madhavaram to Siruseri SIPCOT runs along the OMR from Taramani to Siruseri. On OMR, CMRL will build flyovers on the Thoraipakkam and Sholinganallur junctions with metro viaducts above like in the case of the Vadapalani metro stretch.