Teynampet-Saidapet Flyover Emerges as Tamil Nadu’s Costliest, at ₹195 Crore per Km

The Tamil Nadu Highways Department’s ambitious 3.2-km Teynampet-Saidapet flyover project has sparked debate for being the state’s and possibly the country’s costliest elevated corridor. Built above a metro tunnel, the four-lane structure is estimated at an average of ₹195 crore per km, taking the total cost to ₹621 crore.

By comparison, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which adopts stricter standards in design and construction, has pegged its recent six-lane elevated projects in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere at just ₹120–130 crore per km. That makes the Teynampet project nearly 50% more expensive.

The contrast becomes starker when compared with other recent urban flyovers. The 3.1 km-long Koyambedu flyover, completed in the year 2021, was said to have been built at an average cost of ₹95 crore per km, whereas the Medavakkam flyover had been inaugurated in the year 2022 at ₹100 crore per km. And NHAI’s own 6.9 km-long four-lane elevated corridor in Madurai-Natham Road also was constructed at ₹100 crore per km, which is about half the Teynampet rate.

Documents have revealed that the cost of the Teynampet project saw steep escalations in just two years. Initially, in April 2022, the estimate stood at ₹482 crore, but by March 2023, it was revised upwards to ₹525 crore. In less than a year, this went up by yet another ₹96 crore (18%), with a new projected cost of ₹621 crore.

Officials say the steep rise in cost was because of the technical challenges of constructing an elevated corridor directly on top of a metro alignment, requiring special engineering and safety measures. The project commenced construction in 2024 and is being showcased as the first model of its type in India.

However, such a gigantic cost has attracted the attention of experts and policymakers. Questions are being raised on why the state project costs nearly double that of similar flyovers and even exceeds central government benchmarks.

The flyover is expected to ease congestion on Anna Salai, one of Chennai’s busiest corridors, linking Teynampet and Saidapet. But with its ballooning budget, the project is likely to remain in focus not just for its engineering feat, but also for being Tamil Nadu’s most expensive road infrastructure undertaking to date.