Mumbai, Sept. 2 -- Motorists along the Chennai bypass will get new entry and exit points at Tiruneermalai and Kallikuppam and barrier-free tolling at Tiruneermalai and Athipattu-Menambedu, in a revamp by the National Highways Authority of India. NHAI has issued a work order for the Tiruneermalai access to provide seamless connectivity to the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), the airport and southern parts of the city. The changes aim to ease congestion on the busy corridor and improve traffic flow.
An additional access at Kallikuppam near Menambedu is intended to improve connectivity from Ambattur to areas north of the Chennai-Tiruvallur railway line and relieve commuters along the Ambattur-Puzhal Road. The service road currently ends at Kallikuppam because of a railway track, forcing motorists to take longer routes, and residents had sought either a road overbridge or direct bypass access. The new point is expected to restore continuous local connectivity and shorten travel times.
The existing Vanagaram toll plaza will be shifted to Tiruneermalai and the Surapattu plaza replaced by a staggered arrangement at Athipattu near Decathlon and Menambedu, the tender document states. The two locations will use a barrier-free Multi Lane Free Flow system allowing vehicles to pass without stopping at booths. FASTag-equipped vehicles will be identified and cameras will capture registration numbers for electronic toll collection while automatic number plate recognition will be used when tags are unreadable. E-notices will be generated where electronic collection cannot be completed, which should reduce queues and improve traffic movement.
NHAI had floated bids last year for the shift and road safety measures that include a six-lane vehicular underpass at Vanagaram Junction and a new causeway across the Cooum river between Ambattur and Maduravoyal. NHAI is rolling out MLFF technology at 16 toll plazas nationally and trial runs are under way at three locations in Tamil Nadu. The tender document gives indicative annual electronic toll collection of Rs 1,114.9 million (mn) at Tiruneermalai and Rs 903.5 million (mn) at Athipattu-Menambedu based on 2025-26 figures.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.