Chennai, 24 July (H.S.): The Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project, a 20.6-km four-lane expressway, is facing significant delays due to multiple bottlenecks. Despite being revived in 2022 after a decade-long hiatus, the project's completion date has been pushed to February 2027, nearly nine months behind the initial target of May 2026.

The delays are attributed to the slow handover of land along the Cooum river boundary by the Water Resources Department and seasonal work restrictions imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) between October and December 2024. Additionally, traffic police restrictions on moving construction vehicles during daytime hours have hampered work efficiency. The project, divided into four packages worth Rs 5,510 crore, is being executed by J Kumar Infrastructure, with progress varying from 3% to less than 10% across the packages.

Package 1, worth Rs 1,388.59 crore, has achieved 7.74% progress, while Package 2, valued at Rs 1,616.97 crore, has made 5.45% progress. Package 3, estimated at Rs 1,299.36 crore, has recorded the highest progress at 9.65%, and Package 4, worth Rs 1,205.40 crore, lags behind at 2.99% progress. The delayed submission and approval of retrofitting designs for existing piers and pending traffic permissions along NH-48 have further slowed down Package 4.

Once completed, the double-decker corridor will connect Chennai Port with the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway and industrial corridors at Sriperumbudur and Oragadam, reducing travel time for cargo traffic and increasing the handling capacity of Chennai Port by 48%. The project is expected to benefit from its dedicated freight corridor for Chennai-bound port traffic, cutting down waiting times at the port by six hours.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary