On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the Poonamallee – Vadapalani section of Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail project, which has been built for a total cost of about Rs 4,900 crore. The inaugural ceremony is a big instance of the addition of urban transport infrastructure in Chennai.
After the function, Modi went on an all-metrics journey between Porur Bypass Station and Poonamallee Bypass station and came back. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was also on the spot at the event.
The Prime Minister’s programme included the foundation laying and inauguration exercise of National Highway projects valued at not less than Rs 3,700 crore along with the metro inauguration exercise. The projects target road connectivity, minimized travel time, ease in traffic congestion and boost economic functions throughout Tamil Nadu.
In the list of projects that will be commissioned is the four lane and four kilometre Vadugapatti-Therkuvenganallur section of National Highway 744. The enhanced stretch will enhance access to key areas of pilgrimage destinations, industrial zones and commercial centres and facilitate movement of passengers and goods.
The 30 km four-lane Madurai Ring Road (NH-744A) is another project. This road is proposed to be developed to alleviate the congestion in Madurai city and provide better connectivity to facilitate the movement of vehicles at the region.
Modi will also be laying the foundation stone of the Thiruvarur Bypass of NH-83 in Nagapattinam that will be 4-lane. The proposed bypass will create an alternate alignment around Thiruvarur and alleviate the traffic congestion in the town and facilitate the movement of road traffic in the area.
The metro and highway projects are part of Tamil Nadu’s comprehensive efforts in infrastructure development. The Chennai Metro expansion will provide support to the cities of Chennai and its surroundings to make urban public transport more efficient, while the highway projects will help to run urban development and connect one region with another; both are using the commercial vehicles and highway transport.