Kalvi Varu Street near Luz Corner junction in Mylapore is on the threshold of a major makeover. The S-shaped, 800-metre-long street is being widened, and is expected to have its existing facilities improved upon. Recently, workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation were busy attending to the footpath, which was damaged.
Though not an arterial road, Kalvi Varu Street is a key stretch in the neighbourhood connecting Royapettah High Road with Kutchery Road. The MRTS rail line runs over the stretch with one of its stations being located at one end of the street.
With this restoration work, Luz Corner junction would be decongested and there would be an alternative and safe route for motorists to reach both sides of the neighbourhood.
“The stretch makes a short and safer route for motorists and pedestrians. Civic officials should ensure that the widened stretch, especially its footpaths are not encroached upon again,” says S. Nathan, a motorist from Mylapore.
For decades, the road has been narrow and in some parts encroached upon. The civic body has extended the width of the stretch up to the bund of the Buckingham Canal to ensure greater road space.
With the widening work, the width of the road would double to 60 feet along with expanded footpath, parking bays for cars and two-wheelers and seating arrangement for walkers. The two-way stretch will not have a median as it would reduce the total road space. Instead, reflectors, signboards, LED street lights and speed breakers will be a part of the facelift. More importantly, the canal bund will be strengthened with a three-foot-tall side wall and a fencing above the side wall to prevent people from leaning and looking into the canal. “The entire widening work is expected to be completed in a month,” says a Corporation official.