Plans under way for elevated corridor on Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road

Frustrating traffic congestion at Kamakshi Hospital junction prompts plans for elevated corridor to ease congestion and reduce waiting time.

Waiting for vehicles to move at the Kamakshi Hospital junction at the intersection of Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road and Velachery-Tambaram Road can be quite frustrating at times. So much so that those using the stretch factor in the waiting time when trying to travel to their destination.

Motorists such as Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, who use the junction regularly, say vehicles have no other option but to move slowly, and it is very frustrating. “It will be helpful if a free left turn is put in place to Chennai One IT Park from the Velachery side. This will ensure reduced wait time and free flow of vehicles towards Thoraipakkam. A second-level flyover on the radial road will help ease traffic as well,” he said.

In an effort to reduce waiting time at the junction, work is under way on a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of an elevated corridor from the Kamakshi Hospital junction to Chennai One IT Park on Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road, an crucial stretch that connects Grand Southern Trunk Road with Rajiv Gandhi Salai.

According to sources in the Highways Department, the consultant appointed for the project is preparing the DPR, which will take a few months to be completed. “The Kamakshi Hospital junction is a very crucial one, which has traffic flow from all directions at all times. Due to this, vehicles move slowly,” said an engineer associated with the project.

“We are thinking of constructing the elevated corridor one level above the existing flyover from Velachery to Tambaram. Integrating this corridor with the existing bridge is not a possibility since it is an old structure and demolishing a portion of it and building a rotary will not be cost effective,” an engineer said.

Asked about why the movement of vehicles was slowing down at the junction, he said the number of vehicles had increased over the years with the development of residential localities, information technology companies, and commercial establishments. “We cannot widen the portion of road between Thoraipakkam and Kamakshi Hospital since it passes through the marshland. In such a scenario, constructing the corridor is imperative.”