The Tamil Nadu Highways Department has invited tenders to prepare a Detailed Project Report for a proposed six-lane link road between the East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road, connecting Sholinganallur with Kovalam in Chennai’s southern growth corridor.
The company selected through the tender process will have three months to complete the report. It will be required to assess land measurements, traffic movement, soil conditions, the land acquisition plan and the estimated project cost. The tender was issued on Tuesday, according to the department’s project plan reported by Deccan Chronicle.
The proposed road is intended to address a missing east-west connection between two of Chennai’s key southern arterial roads. At present, the Thoraipakkam-Neelankarai road is the only direct link between the OMR and ECR in this stretch. Travellers from Sholinganallur, Siruseri and Kelambakkam heading towards Kovalam and Mahabalipuram currently have to cover about 12 kilometres, with the journey taking more than an hour during periods of heavy congestion.
The proposed link is expected to reduce the travel time to between 10 and 15 minutes and ease traffic pressure around Sholinganallur. The ECR is used by about 1.1 lakh people every day and serves as an important entry and exit route for Chennai. The surrounding areas have expanded rapidly, with information technology companies, educational institutions, hospitals, hotels, commercial establishments and residential developments increasing travel demand.
The project is also linked to the movement of traffic towards southern Tamil Nadu. Buses travelling to the southern districts currently use the Chennai-Tiruchy national highway, where the Kilambakkam mofussil bus terminus is located. Cars and vans also use the highway in large numbers during festivals and weekends, when traffic congestion can continue for several hours.
By creating a connection between the OMR and ECR, the department expects some vehicles to shift to the ECR. The planned expansion of the ECR into a six-lane road is also expected to increase its capacity and provide an alternative route for traffic using the Chennai-Tiruchy highway.
The DPR will establish the project’s land requirements, engineering conditions and likely financial commitment before construction decisions are taken. The land acquisition assessment will be particularly important because the proposed road crosses a rapidly urbanising belt where residential, commercial and institutional development has expanded along both corridors.
The proposed link is part of a wider road-planning effort in the region. The government has already decided to conduct a feasibility study for a 52-kilometre road between Maduranthakam and Mamallapuram, allocating Rs. 80 lakh for the study. That road is planned to begin at Karunguzhi near Maduranthakam, pass through Thirukkazhukundram and end at Poonchery near Mamallapuram, where motorists would be able to join the proposed ECR-OMR connection.
The immediate next step is the selection of the DPR consultant and completion of the three-month study. The report will determine the project’s alignment, land acquisition requirements, technical feasibility and estimated budget.
