Relief for citizens as corporation decides to widen 14 roads

CHENNAI: Motorists in the city, long inured to the problems of travelling along impossibly congested roads, can soon expect relief. The corporation, which announced it would widen 24 roads, will now take up work on 14 arterial stretches for which it has completed a survey.
The survey studied traffic patterns, vehicular population, encroachments and land assessments.A land plan schedule to finalise the extent of land to be acquired has also been completed. “The next step is land acquisition and we are working towards submitting proposals to the state government by July,” said a senior corporation official.
Sardar Patel Road, Nelson Manickam Road, Santhome High Road, Perambur Barracks Road, Strahans Road, Kalki Krishnamurthy Salai (Lattice Bridge Road), Kaliamman Kovil Street, Paper Mills Road, Dr Muthulakshmi Salai, Sembium Red Hills Road, Arcot Road or NSK Salai, Kodambakkam High Road, Jayaraman Street and Mosque Street are .
Many residents are happy the corporation has finally woken up to the problems of commuters. “It is good news that after much delay, Nelson Manickam Road will be widened,” says a commuter who shuttles between Cenotaph Road and Mogappair. “During peak hours, we are stuck for at least 20 minutes on this stretch.”
The corporation expects a few problems and lists land acquisition as the most daunting. “We will hold stakeholder meetings for all roads,” said the official.
The 14 main roads were identified from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s Second Master Plan for the city so corporation will not have problems getting the government’s nod.
The corporation officials are keen on getting the project on the track as early as possible. They are aware if that cannot start by year-end, the project could be delayed when the model code of conduct kick in ahead of the state assembly elections next year.