CMRL to Revamp South Chennai Spaces into Civic and Cultural Hotspots

A feasibility study on placemaking and beautification of public spaces is in progress by CMRL rejuvenating three prominent public spaces in South Chennai. Among these are the now derelict Broken Bridge near Adyar, part of the MRTS corridor adjacent to Indira Nagar station, and the ground area underneath the Velachery rail overbridge-with a land footprint of a little over 7.3 acres.

Broken Bridge-now waterfront retreat:

Constructing Broken Bridge, which linked Fort St. George to Saidapet in 1772, crumbled after 1977. The proposal entails the development of a beautifully landscaped public waterfront extending along the 3.5-acre stretch of the Adyar estuary. It will host leisure spaces, adventure activities, walking loops, café programs, and enhanced public facilities. The site is being developed solely for tourism and not as an MRTS endeavor thereby including landscaping, movement, and universal access facilities.

Indira Nagar MRTS Stretch to Transform into Community Hub:

This civic and transport hub will be designed along a 1.5-acre strip under the MRTS. At present, no facilities for pedestrian use exist directly adjacent to OMR on this side of the IT corridor. Among other such options, CMRL is proposing to provide parking and walking pathways along with children’s play zones, food kiosks, and event platforms so that residential localities such as Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur, Tharamani, Besant Nagar, and R.A. Puram would benefit from the nearby developments, and these would also be integrated with amenities like public toilets, shaded seating, and cultural activity zones.

Velachery Overbridge Area to Experience Celebrations and Thronging:

The 2.3 acres beneath the Velachery rail overbridge are meant to entrench a quite lively civic enclave that can take on festival activities because it is going to be a high footfall area, going to see temporary setups of stage, stalls for the market, and installations for light art, woven safely with pedestrian and cycling tracks. The proposed design indicates the children-friendly play zones separating the pedestrians-vehicles and facilitating infrastructure for the seasonal events.

Way Ahead:

After conducting the feasibility study, all three identified locations shall be included in the Detailed Project Report phase. This initiative is part of the bigger ambition of CMRL, which is to bring mobility, tourism, recreation, and public infrastructure into one seamless living environment in Chennai.