Chennai’s main roads will soon give commuters a hassle-free road
experience as the Chennai Corporation has decided to give 30 arterial
roads in the city a facelift, bringing them up to international
standards.

Main bus routes in Chennai like RK Salai, LB Road,
Nelson Manickam Road, Dr Ambedkar Road etc will see dedicated footpaths,
benches and cycling lanes among other additions.

Four roads so
far have been identified by a private consultant appointed by the Tamil
Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL) for which
a detailed report has been submitted to the Corporation for
consideration.

Dr Ambedkar Road and first, fourth and 11th avenues
of Ashok Nagar have been identified, for which Corporation officials
and Chennai Mayor Saidai S Duraiswamy made site visits.

Key
departments connected to roadways like the Storm Water Drain Department,
Slum Clearance Board, Electricity Board and the Revenue Department had a
meeting to discuss the work that needs to be undertaken from their
sides, said a communication from the Corporation.

In addition,
telephone companies like BSNL, Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone, etc who have
their cables under the roads also met the Corporation.Officials
from the Corporation said that an estimate for the construction work to
be undertaken will be submitted in a week’s time.

“We will float
the tender immediately and if the first tenders are taken up, work can
start in as soon as two months,” they said.The Corporation has
also directed the consultant to submit a report in two days detailing
the problems and disturbances that might crop up during road work.