Chennai: The state highways department, in its ₹21,524-crore budget, has announced massive infrastructural projects, including an eight-lane corridor from Chennai to Kanyakumari, a Chennai-Coimbatore-Thoothukudi Industrial Corridor, a 21-km elevated corridor from Padi to Thirunindravur, and another 30-km elevated corridor from Kilambakkam to Chengalpet. Another ₹1,000 crore has been set aside for the highways’ takeover of city roads.The highways department will take over the city corporation’s bus route roads in Chennai, Avadi, Tambaram, Trichy, Coimbatore and Madurai, totalling 500km. “Road improvement works will be initiated at ₹1,000 crore. It will include widening, junction development, and general quality development,” he said.For the Chennai-Coimbatore-Thoothukudi Industrial Corridor, a detailed project report worth ₹5 crore will be initiated, the minister said.The highways department will also install CCTV cameras on major state and national highways at a cost of ₹500 crore. Addressing the assembly, Aadhav said that if commuters cross Coimbatore and reach Kerala, they wear seatbelts and maintain speed limits of 80-90kmph. “They have CCTVs every 50m and they issue automated fines. That’s why people are following rules. But here, people just overspeed,” he said.“The chief minister has told us to give six months. From 2027, we will have CCTV cameras on all 70,000 km of highways. Kerala has reduced road accidents by 7% and the model has worked there,” he said.The minister also announced that the highways department’s policy is to ensure all 35,012 single-lane roads are converted into two-lane.Besides this, the highways announced projects for core city areas, such as an extension of the Vyasarpadi flyover towards Madhavaram, and a DPR will be prepared at a cost of ₹20 lakh. Parts of this stretch fall under chief minister C Joseph Vijay’s Perambur constituency.Further, to decongest Wall Tax Road, Vyasarpadi, Korukkupet and other parts of North Chennai, the highways department plans to widen the British-era Basin Bridge at its junctions. A DPR will be prepared at ₹20 lakh. The highways will also widen a river-crossing bridge across Cooum River in Koyambedu, and has launched a DPR at ₹15 lakh.The highways has also announced pedestrian overbridges with lifts in Chennai Central, Kathipara, Koyambedu, IIT junction near Anna University, and at Madhya Kailash junction at a cost of ₹32 crore. A DPR has been initiated for another ECR-OMR link road.
