Chennai: The proposed Bangalore-Chennai Expressway (BCE) that ends at Sriperumbudur might be extended till Maduravoyal and connected to the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway according to plans by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Once the project is complete, commuters travelling from Bangalore to Chennai will have two ways to enter the city. One, by exiting the e-way and joining the Poonamallee High Road and second, by continuing on the e-way to reach areas in North Madras.
It is expected that the completed project will remove the container and lorry traffic plying the city roads, making commute faster and safer for everyone.
An NHAI official said, “Earlier the plan was to connect the elevated highway with the Chennai Outer Ring Road. But since we wanted connectivity with the core city, it is being taken to the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway.”
The six-lane elevated road from Sriperumbudur to Maduravoyal will run along the Poonamallee High Road and cost around Rs 3,000 crore to construct.
The NHAI is going in for vertical development to avoid land acquisition and minimise social impact. A detailed project report for the 22-km road is in the works.
Tenders for both the BCE and the elevated road to Maduravoyal would be finalised this year and the project would be awarded before March 2019. The six-lane elevated road would take 30 months to construct, the official added.
Big push for real estate
Another plus side for the deal is that this might finally give the languishing real estate market in Mugappair and Maduravoyal, a shot in the arm to get it up and running.
Chennai branch of Knight Frank, a real estate advisory firm had already predicted that the residential market in Chennai which is bottomed out, is likely to revive with costs likely to go up next year.
Director of firm’s Chennai branch, Kanchana Krishnan said that areas surrounding Maduravoyal, Kelambakkam and Kolapakkam are leading the change largely owing to affordable properties priced ranging between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 40 lakh.
Now with the Metro rail picking up, FSI index might get a re-look by government officials in the areas surrounding the metro corridor leading to more high rise buildings and boosting real estate sector in Mugappair and Maduravoyal.