Work to widen the stretch of GST Road between Guduvanchery and Chettipunniyam to eight lanes is likely to be completed by May 2023. The Tambaram-Guduvanchery stretch has already been widened.
According to sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under whose control the road is, around 50% of the work has been completed so far. The National Highways wing of the State Highways Department is carrying out the work at an estimated budget of ₹4213.77 crore, with the NHAI bearing the cost. The road was four lanes, and now, the width is being doubled in addition to the construction of service lanes and stormwater drains and extension of culverts.
A source in the State Highways Department said of the five sections in the road, work on two had been completed and one more was nearing completion. Of the remaining 13.5 km, the work is in various stages with only the bituminous concrete layer to be laid in the stretch between Singaperumalkoil and Chettipunyam.
An engineer associated with the project said the project faced issues, including the shortage of aggregate material, which was necessary for formation of the road, shortage in availability of labourers, continuous traffic, shifting of utilities and waterlogging on the right side of the road due to rain.
Raghuraman, a resident of Perungalathur, said since the road had become very broad after the widening, pedestrians and local motorists were finding it very difficult to cross it. “Junctions at Kilambakkam, Thailavaram, Nandivaram Road, Maraimalai Nagar and Chettipunyam had to be improved to ensure pedestrian safety. Steps must be taken for smooth integration of local traffic with the flow in the main carriageway,” he said.
