CTH 6-Laning Starts and Metro Rail to Be Laid On the Centre of Road

The long-delayed six-laning of the Chennai-Tiruttani High (CTH) Road from Padi to Tiruninravur is finally gathering momentum with the Tamil Nadu State Highway Department fast-tracking the project. The extension’s most significant element will be the Koyambedu-Avadi Metro Rail, which will run along the centre median of the road, and provide commuters with much-needed connectivity between the city and northwestern suburbs.

To deal with the growing congestion, the department has suggested the construction of five new flyovers and the widening of two railway overbridges (ROBs). The 22 km stretch will be widened to 100ft with land acquisition pushed forward to upgrade four lanes to six lanes.

CTH Road, which connects Chennai and Tiruvallur district, passes through the Ambattur Industrial Estate and several fast-developing residential clusters. Every day 1.1 lakh PCs (passenger car units) use the road and daily traffic congestion has deteriorated over the years. Indian roadway has LMV 2-wheeler levels in 50 default rates, road-to-road stretches, and elevations.

The project faced serious resistance from traders and thus the plan to widen the CTH Road up to 150-200 feet was scrapped in 2009. Instead, officials select a four-lane improvement with a median. But since then, rapid urban growth along the corridor over the last 15 years has resulted in a bottleneck after the bottleneck, forcing the government to dust off the six-lane idea.

Residents and activists have become frustrated by waiting. “When the NHAI suggested six-lane expansion, the traders resisted it and the state government took over the NH stretch maintenance. Now, years later, all we are waiting for is better roads,” said T. Sadagopan, a consumer activist from Pattabiram.

Now with work moving at a more rapid pace, the project is expected to take significant steps to ease congestion and improve connectivity for thousands of commuters who daily travel in and out of the area.

You can notice this development happening in Chennai with the widening of the OMR road and the construction of the elevated corridor along Anna Salai.