Urban News

The Hindu 24.04.2010

Road widening work from next month

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Change in air: A view of Ayanavaram Road.

CHENNAI: Work on widening Ayanavaram Road and Raji Street that serve as a link between Medavakkam Tank Road and New Avadi Road will be taken up by the Chennai Corporation after mid-May.

The roads, which have a width of 6 metre on an average, would become 15-metre wide. This would help cut down travel time as big vehicles have to otherwise go to Kelly's and Kilpauk Garden to reach the other side.

According to officials, lands belonging to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and the Chennai Metrowater have been acquired by the civic body for the widening work. “We are waiting for the demolition of the old compound wall of the IMH and CMWSSB. As soon as that is over, we will shift around 50 lamp-posts on that stretch,” said an official. The work order would be issued soon and the widening is expected to be completed in July.

A.Sathyanarayanan, general secretary of Raji Street Civic Exnora, said a major problem on Raji Street was a wine shop that had a bar attached to it. In the evenings, many vehicles of customers were parked on the road hampering the movement of pedestrians and other vehicles. “There are two schools within just 100 metres of the shop. Women and children find it difficult to cross the stretch. It is pertinent that the shop is also removed,” he said.

A resident of the area, who did not want to be named, said that vans and lorries parked on both the roads led to traffic jams. Shops that sell bricks, sand and other construction material also stock their wares on the road blocking free movement of vehicles, he said. Along with the road widening if a stormwater drain system was also constructed, it would help prevent water stagnation during the monsoon, he added.

Mayor M. Subramanian said as part of the civic body's efforts to ease traffic in residential localities, zonal officers have been asked to identify small streets that need widening.

“If there are roads that require widening we will take up such work.”

The Hindu 16.04.2010

Rs. 1,000 crore for improving roads

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Ganesan.

The beginning:M.S. Srinivasan, Advisor (Roads) of Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited, addressing a meeting in Madurai on Thursday.

MADURAI: The State Government has made an initial allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore to improve roads in 11 urban local bodies in Tamil Nadu to international standards.

Addressing news persons here on Thursday, Advisor (Roads), Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited, M.S. Srinivasan, said that urban local bodies of Madurai, Tirunelveli, Thanjavur, Kumbhakonam, Mayiladuturai, Karur, Inam Karur, Tiruppur, Tiruchi, Alandur and Valasarawakkam.

Unlike the normal road re-laying work taken up by the local bodies, this project envisaged provision of storm water drainage, pavement for pedestrians, streetlights, signage, junction improvements and dedicated ducts for telephone cables.

Mr. Srinivasan said that the contractor who lays the road would have the responsibility of maintaining it for five years. “Local bodies will not have any additional financial commitment on this account,” he said. The project did not envisage any land acquisition also.

At an interactive meeting with members of public and councillors, the representative of the consultant said that 1,000 km of roads would be re-laid in the city.

Mayor G. Thenmozhi, Corporation Commissioner S. Sebastine, Chief Engineer K. Sakthivel, councillors and officials participated in the meeting.