With tenders being floated for shifting electric poles and transformers, widening of the East Coast Road (ECR) from Thiruvanmiyur to Akkarai is picking up pace. The contractors, who win the bids, will get up to three months to complete the work.
The Highways Department is dismantling structures on properties that have been acquired in Kottivakkam, Palavakkam and Sholinganallur.
“Once the buildings are removed, the contractors will construct storm-water drains on these stretches. In places where the buildings have been removed, drain construction work is under way,” said a source. A few trees along the road have to be removed.
Acquisition of land for the six-lane project had been a long-drawn affair, going for over a decade, because of the large number of land parcels involved.
Widening of the stretch in Kottivakkam and Palavakkam is expected to be completed first.
The six-km long stretch in Sholinganallur, where the drain construction work was yet to be taken up, will be completed next.
Driving vehicles on the entire stretch had become difficult because of busy pedestrian movement.
“The road is not uniformly wide. Some reaches are narrow, some wide and construction is happening on others. If the widening work is completed, it would help in fast and safe movement of vehicles,” said K. Natarajan, a resident of Palavakkam.
