The Tamil Nadu Government has thought and announced an enormous scheme to solve one of the most serious issues in Chennai-the traffic congestion problem. The government has planned the new elevated corridor that will come alongside the Inner Ring Road of the city to minimize and release traffic flow within that area, enhancing connectivity and services available in that region. The project would estimate around Rs 1,500 crores as its cost. The city would witness a transformation in the way its urban movement was going.
In this article, we’ll explore the details of this much-awaited project, relief to commuters, and how much more time it might take.
Why Chennai Needs an Elevated Corridor
Chennai has been India’s most populous city. This always brings one thing along with itself, that is traffic congestion. It is very particularly pertinent to major arterial roads, such as the Inner Ring Road. This congestion hampers the daily commuter, adds to the increasing pollution levels, and adversely affects the economic growth of the city in the long run. For this problem, the Tamil Nadu Government accepted that it is time to come out with innovative solutions for tackling the growing demand for efficient transport.
It is coming as one of the significant moves of the city towards traffic management. This elevated road will considerably help cut down travel time, improve better flow of traffic, and make it easier to commute among all the residents in Chennai.
Some of the major features that are attributed to this new elevated corridor include:
This elevated corridor would extend over several kilometres along the Inner Ring Road and hence connect many of the principal destinations in Chennai. Some of the salient features of this project are as follows:
- Increased capacity: This elevated corridor shall take large volumes of traffic, therefore relieving congestion at ground-level roads and making easy traveling across the city for the commuters.
- Better Connectivity: This elevated corridor will directly connect major commercial and residential areas. It is designed to improve access between the important urban centers of the city.
- Lane Reservations for Public Transport: In an attempt to make the mobility much more sustainable, the reserved lanes have been offered to the buses within this elevated corridor. As the private vehicles are going to be reduced in numbers, more people would be enticed to opt for public transport.
- Modern Traffic Management Systems: The corridor will be designed with the latest technologies and systems in managing traffic. The flow of traffic will be smooth and efficient, while the construction material and technology will be of the highest quality, making it long-lasting.
Role of Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT)
This immense infrastructural load would be handled by Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust. As an organization dealing in urban development for the protection of the environment, CRRT would perform all tasks with absolute quality.
Other third parties including the local bodies, traffic management bodies, and organizations of public transport will be joined by this trust to have an easy flow of this over-bridge at city-level while infrastructure existing works are continued.
Timeline and Phased Construction
Construction of the elevated corridor will take about three to four years to complete. Construction of the segments of the project will be staggered to help speed up the process. In this regard, different construction teams will be on different sections.
Though the entire project schedule is all geared up to be ready in the next few years, officials have been promising to come up with relief measures for the amount of inconvenience people face during the under-construction times for daily traffic flow. There shall be a convenient flow of cars and passengers free from long intervals during the whole period.
Traffic and Commuting Consequences through Chennai
There will be some changes in day-to-day journey through Chennai corridors. Here’s a glimpse of these changes:
- Reduced Congestion: The vehicles would have an elevated dedicated way. This minimizes congestion along the existing roads and helps ease up the traffic bottlenecks, mostly during peak hours.
- Faster Commute Times: The pace of travel within traffic will also be much finer as there’d be lesser standing-stilled automobiles and even an even more channeled traffic. So it should be something of heaven to those in town dealing with extended grueling everyday trips.
- Better Air Quality: Comparing fewer no. of automobiles on ground floors and promoting transport, the whole fresh corridor will ensure that lesser emissions so that there could be fresh air at city places.
It shall be further fueled by public transports as bus lanes available along with other road spaces for public transport will slowly relocate people away from private transports to eventually construct more sustainable urban mobility.
Future of Chennai Transport Network
It forms part of the overall Chennai plan to upgrade the transport infrastructure of the city. The city has also looked into other projects to update public transport systems such as expansion of the metro and improvement of the road network.
These will complement the overall city goals of encouraging sustainable growth and enhancing the quality of life for its citizenry. With mushrooming traffic congestion all over the city, projects like the elevated corridor will gain much importance in making Chennai a livable and thriving metropolis.
Conclusion
The proposed elevated corridor for the Inner Ring Road of Chennai is a very significant step toward redressing the growing traffic issues within the city. It will last for generations by improving connectivity, reducing congestion, and ensuring sustainability in mobility. Though it will take years to complete the entire construction, long-term benefits for commuters and the environment will begin to appear very soon. This mega project surely will usher in an exciting new chapter in the development of Chennai on the road to becoming a smarter and more efficient city.
Source:
ConstructionWorld, Link to article