The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to begin a Rs 50 lakh Cooum riverfront development pilot covering 1.7 km from Periyar Bridge to the Cooum estuary, with the project focused on expanding greenery and improving the surrounding public environment.
The civic body has floated tenders for two stretches: a 1.2-km section from Napier Bridge to Periyar Bridge along Sivanandha Salai, and a 0.5-km section from Napier Bridge to the river mouth. The contract includes a one-year maintenance period after the works are completed.
A senior GCC official said the pilot would involve planting and maintaining more than 13,000 saplings along the stretch. The proposed plant species include Clerodendrum, hybrid shrubs and Nerium. The Corporation expects the planted areas to develop into flowering green spaces on both sides of Napier Bridge within six months of the work beginning.
The tender scope also includes repairs to compound walls, painting and necessary civil works. Other listed activities are jungle cutting and clearing, earthwork excavation, cement concreting, plastering, brickwork, painting of plastered walls, coconut-thatched roofing and enamel painting for grill gates.
The project will use borewells, water connections, pumps, fencing, booster pressure pumps and pressure compensators to support the plantation and maintenance work. These installations are intended to provide the water infrastructure required to sustain the new vegetation during the one-year maintenance period.
According to the tender documents, the existing vegetation and bund on the left side of Napier Bridge along Sivanandha Salai may be used as a community space. The proposal therefore combines landscape work with repairs to existing civic infrastructure and the potential reuse of an already vegetated river-edge area.
The pilot begins at a highly visible section of the Cooum near the estuary, where the riverfront is seen by motorists and members of the public using Napier Bridge and Sivanandha Salai. The GCC official said the completed work would provide a more scenic view and a refreshed experience for the public.
The tender does not describe the pilot as a full river restoration project. Its immediate scope is centred on plantation, landscaping, civil repairs, water systems, fencing and maintenance across the identified stretches. The civic body’s next steps are to proceed with the tendered works and maintain the planted areas for one year after completion.
