T.N. Highways Department begins temporary repairs on major Chennai roads post December floods

The T.N. Highways Department begins repairing and re-laying roads damaged in the December 2023 floods in Chennai.

The T.N. Highways Department has begun work to repair and re-lay portions of roads that were damaged in the December 2023 floods. A total of 28 projects are be carried out on city roads at a cost of ₹20 crore.

Roads that are to be repaired include Vanagaram - Ambattur – Puzhal Road, Velachery-Tambaram Road, Madhavaram – Red Hills Road, Tambaram – Mudichur Road and Medavakkam – Mambakkam Road.  

“Emergency repairs were taken up immediately after the floods. We are now doing work that will last for some time. We are doing this now, as we had to wait for the rains to stop and for the road surfaces to dry completely. The amount allocated by the Centre was insufficient for the quantum of repairs in nine districts, and work has been taken up with money from the State’s funds,” said an official.

Portions of the southern sector of Inner Ring Road will also be repaired. “We will work during the nights when there is less traffic, and diversions are easier. The repairs will take 10 days to complete,” said another official.

V. Kala, a resident of Mudichur said that the Tambaram - Mudichur Road has not been re-laid after the stormwater drain work was carried out. “It has only a few good patches. The road has been dug up again for drinking water lines recently, reducing its width. The various government agencies need to coordinate amongst themselves when they dig up such important roads,” she said.  

Among city roads, ₹4.5 crore has been allotted towards repairs on 5.8 km of Poonamallee High Road, ₹3 crore for a 3.4 km stretch on Jawaharlal Nehru Salai (IRR), ₹1.7 crore for Ambattur - Vanagaram - Puzhal Road and ₹1 crore for the Tiruvottiyur – Ponneri – Panchetti Road.  

Of the ₹250 crore allocated by the State government for temporary road work across Tamil Nadu following Cyclone Michaung and the torrential rains in the southern districts, ₹25.17 crore is for TIruvallur district, ₹11 crore is for the restoration of roads in Chengalpattu and ₹9.10 crore is for roads in Kancheepuram. A total of ₹117.42 crore has been allotted to Thoothukudi and Rs. 31.82 crore for TIrunelveli.