Highways Authority floats tenders for elevated corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi

Tenders have been invited for the construction of the 14.2km-long, four-lane-wide elevated corridor from Thiruvanmiyur to Uthandi on the East Coast Road (ECR). The bids for the ₹2,100-crore project have been floated by the Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority. Minister for Finance Thangam Thennarasu had announced the project during the Budget session for 2025-26 in the Assembly in March this year.  

According to official sources, the corridor would take off on West Avenue, just before the ECR begins, take a right turn and run up to Uthandi with ramps for entry/exit at several points. Constructed along the median, the width of the structure would be 17.25 metre and it would have a vertical clearance of 5.5 metre, enough for heavy vehicles to pass beneath.  

The work would be carried out on a hybrid annuity model (HAM) — a mix of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and build, operate, transfer (BOT) models. Although the land acquired for the widening of the ECR into six lanes would be utilised for this structure, more land would be required for the ramps.  

According to a retired Highways engineer, the corridor has been designed to allow two-way traffic — vehicles heading towards Mamallapuram and Puducherry need not wait at signals in Kotivakkam, Palavakkam and Neelankarai; and motorists heading inside city from the ECR need not wait for local traffic but instead take the elevated corridor. It would also help reduce congestion on that stretch that witnessed around 70,000 vehicles a day, bringing relief to slow-moving vehicles commuting from connecting streets. The facility is likely to take about four years for completion.