Sections of East Coast Road from Akkarai to Mamallapuram to be relaid by TNRDC

Aiming to provide a smoother journey to motorists using the East Coast Highway (ECR) between Akkarai and Mamallapuram, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) will soon start resurfacing works on three sections.

A total of 3 km from Akkarai to Uthandi, 5.3 km from Kanathur to Kovalam and 4.7 km from Kovalam to Mamallapuram will be re-laid. “Although it is only 30 km long, if you take both sides, that is, the left and right side, it becomes 60 km. We are allocating 13 km of it for renovation at this stage,” an official source said.

The tender for the work has been made and the contractor is expected to start work in a short time. It will be completed within one month from that date. “These sections need to be renewed as they have withstood traffic for over five years. If not repaved, they will be damaged and cracks or potholes will form. We want to prevent this and want the road to continue to provide drivers with a smooth driving surface. Road surfaces are usually renewed every five years. We will ensure that the road is cold milled where the surface is scraped before repaving,” the source said.

ECR is popular among people traveling to Mamallapuram and Puducherry. Cycling enthusiast K. Parthasarathy said, “The quality of the road should not be compromised in any way. It should be maintained that way. Once the top-covering work is completed, road signs, reflective stickers, cat’s eye buttons and signboards should be carefully re-installed.”

Regarding the possibility of widening the road to six lanes, another official said that the current traffic volume does not require such width. “Perhaps the traffic will increase once the proposed road from Karunguzhi and Chennai Bypass connecting Poonjeri is completed. We can expand this in 3 to 4 years,” he added.

Vijayakumar, whose office is in ECR, said it would be beneficial to move the toll booth at Uthandi further away. “Many residents pay toll to use the road, which is unnecessary. The plaza actually falls within the Greater Chennai Corporation limits and as a rule, toll plazas are not supposed to be within the city limits. Toll plazas at OMR have been removed based on this rule,” he said.