Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Corridor Faces Delays, Says Minister

E.V. Velu, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Public Works, Highways, and Minor Ports, told the Assembly that periodic review meetings were being conducted to monitor progress on the long-awaited Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project But he conceded that construction is still being hampered by delays.

The Minister, in response to a question posed by Tiruchengode MLA E.R. Eswaran, said the project was supposed to be completed by February 2027 as per the contract agreement. However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said that there are going to be more delays.

Mr. Eswaran said that the project was first proposed 16 years ago when T.R. Baalu was the Union Highways Minister. He urged the State government to expedite the project, acknowledging its importance for the economic growth of Tamil Nadu. He also suggested that the corridor be named after the late former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Under the project being implemented through the engineering procurement construction mode, which is part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme, a two-tier, four-lane elevated corridor will be built, Mr. Velu said. The contract was executed on September 11, 2023, and work began in earnest on November 23, 2023.

But construction has been marred by repeated setbacks. On May, 4, the Water Resources Department raised objections that delayed the handover of the road section until May 30, 2024. From mid-September to December 2024, work was limited due to monsoon conditions as per the orders of the National Green Tribunal, given that the proposed corridor runs along the Cooum River for almost 15 km.

As per NHAI, the project has been divided into four packages. To date, 812 of 5,296 piles and 41 of 882 pile caps have been installed. A total of 9,415 units are required for the superstructure components, which are being fabricated in two casting yards.

One tier of the corridor will have six exits and seven entry points and the other will have direct connectivity from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal, the Minister said.