Nerkundram road plan afoot to decongest western corridor
CHENNAI: The State Highways department is planning to revive a long-pending plan for a new road link at Nerkundram, aimed at easing chronic congestion between the Inner Ring Road (IRR) and Poonamallee High Road along the citys western corridor. Officials say the proposal now favours a lower-impact road alignment that runs largely along existing metro rail land, avoiding dense residential neighbourhoods and costly acquisitions. Two alignment options were examined to connect the IRR with the Poonamallee High Road via Kaliamman Koil Street and Nerkundram Road. One option followed an existing road abutting land owned by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL); the other cutting through Nerkundram Main Road and interior streets such as Reddy Street and Dayasadan Street. After assessing social impact and the number of structures that would need to be acquired, officials have opted for the CMRL-boundary alignment. The alternative would have required extensive demolition in built-up areas, sharply escalating costs and likely triggering public opposition, sources said. Under the plan being taken forward, two new links are proposed: one connecting Nerkundram Road to CMRL Road, and another linking CMRL Road to Poonamallee High Road with a straight geometry to reduce sharp curves and improve traffic flow. Additional land will be required near the Poonamallee High Road merge, while acquisition along the metro boundary would proceed in line with CMRLs earlier notifications. The proposal revives a scheme first conceived in 2013 to build an 80-foot-wide link between Poonamallee High Road (NH-4) and the A Road of the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex. A government order had granted administrative sanction for land acquisition costing Rs 34 crore for extending the A Road, with a 24-metre-wide link road proposed to relieve congestion around the market. Subsequently, a proposal to acquire 5.46 hectares in Nerkundram village was sent to the government through the Tiruvallur district collector to create a direct connection to Poonamallee High Road. The total land acquisition bill was estimated at about Rs 165 crore.
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