The expansion work at the Tambaram-Velacheri Main Road, between Sembakkam and Gowrivakkam, has resumed after a break.
Ahead of the expansion, many commercial encroachments and a few houses on the stretch were removed.
According to officials, the work had to be halted as a few residents moved the court for a stay. “The preliminary process is under way and it will be ensured that everything is completed at the earliest,” the official added.
This development comes more than two years after the project was announced in 2016. It is said two more lanes will be added on the stretch. While it is expected that the work will be completed in three months, the official also noted that, “The heavy flow of traffic from the nearby areas has made us take up this stretch on priority basis.”
Tambaram-Velacheri Main Road has seen a monumental increase in traffic in the last five years and the two lanes are expected to provide relief to commuters.
The Highways Department is yet to touch the heavily-encroached Selaiyur section of the Velacheri Main Road, which is majorly responsible for traffic in this area. Work here was supposed to begin in January 2018, with the authorities planning to reclaim 50 feet on either side of the 300-metre stretch. But there has been no progress ever since.