Rest of civic work along Ennore Expressway to be done at Rs 10 crore

CHENNAI: Connectivity between Chennai and Ennore ports is all set to get better with National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) floating tenders to widen the controversial 450-metre stretch near Kasimedu at Rs 10 crore.
Encroachments around the area, causing accidents and blocking vehicular movement, were removed and the entire stretch will soon a support four-lane traffic. The stretch, part of the Ennore Manali Road Improvement Project (EMRIP), was aimed at providing better connectivity between the said ports in Chennai's suburbs.
EMRIP is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with the government, NHAI and both the ports as partners. Works on the 30-km stretch was completed at Rs 600 crore except for the said stretch due to pending land acquisition, said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in last year's budget session.
The said portion of land couldn't be acquired because of opposition from local fishermen. A fish market was functioning from the location besides two religious structures, said an NHAI official.
These encroachments on Chennai Port Trust (CPT) land was causing frequent accidents and affecting truck movement.
The road dotted with heavy industries is one of top accident-prone zones. Over 60 accidents were reported here last year and around 20 died in these accidents. Of this, 12 were travelling in two-wheelers, according to official data. In 2017, 15 people were killed in 50 accidents here.
The four-km stretch between Patinathar temple and Tiruvottiyur toll gate is the deadliest with 11 people dying here in road accidents in 2018.
Ennore residents attribute the high accident rate to poor street lighting by the state highways department, lack of speed breakers at junctions connecting main road with interior roads, over-speeding heavy vehicles and bikes, and incomplete civic works.
“However, the Madras high court directed the government to clear them. The CPT handed over the land after this. We have floated tenders to finish balance work at an estimated cost of Rs 10.2 crores,” the NHAI official added.
Works include road expansion, construction of median, bridge, drain and culvert work and two pedestrian underpasses so that local can cross the road easily.