Tamil Nadu: East Coast Road expansion work to be completed in two months

Tamil Nadu: Officials said that the work to widen the East Coast Road from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai in Chennai will be completed in two months.

Work has begun on the 6-lane expansion of the 10.5 km long East Coast Road from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai near Neelankarai in Chennai. This work had been stalled for a long time. Officials say that the work has now reached its final stage. However, drivers report that some unfinished sections are causing traffic jams. Here’s what they said:

The Highway Department has constructed roads in the widened areas of the East Coast Road. In some places, vehicles are parked on the 6th lane, making the area unusable. To prevent vehicles from parking, the Highway Department attempted to erect brick barriers on a portion of the 6th lane. However, this was met with opposition, stating that this would defeat the purpose of widening the road. After this, the bricks were removed.

Although officials say that most of the road construction work is complete, some unfinished sections continue to cause traffic jams. Drivers are facing difficulties commuting in some areas of Neelankarai, Injambakkam, and Vettuvankani. They said that encroachments removed for road expansion have reappeared in some areas.

Officials said:

The Highway Department has not yet acquired land in some areas between Kottivakkam and Akkarai. 30 houses in these areas are still pending acquisition. We have issued announcements for this purpose. Negotiations are underway with landowners to acquire the land at a reasonable price. They said that once the land is acquired, work will begin in that area and will be completed within two months.