Work on building a 17.5-km stretch of the Chennai-Tirupati Highway (NH 205) from Tiruvallur to Thiruninravur is progressing well with the project expected to be completed by September 2024. This road is part of the new bypass to Tiruvallur and a fresh formation running to Thiruninravur. The existing highway from Tiruvallur to Thiruninravur would not be disturbed and will be maintained by the State government.
Sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the ₹304-crore work being executed under the engineering-procurement- construction mode involves building three major bridges across waterbodies, six minor bridges and 13 underpasses, all with six lanes. The length of the highway is 124 km of which 107 km was relaid recently.
The work on this stretch began in September 2022 and the stretch will have a 14.1-km long service road. The road will be four lanes wide with a provision to extend it up to 8 lanes with a four-metre wide median. Lighting and storm-water drains too would be provided for the road that carries around 15,000 vehicles a day.
Tiruvallur District Collector Alby John Varghese recently inspected the widening work and urged officials to expedite the construction. He interacted with workers at the construction sites and sought to know if they were satisfied with the facilities provided by the contractor.
Pattabhiram resident T. Sadagopan said the project was an important one for residents of the western suburbs. “It provides connectivity to the nearby towns and to various religious centres. This would help in the development of the district. If the road is widened, traffic will definitely increase,” he said.
