Light House in Marina beach
More than a decade after abandoning plans to build an elevated road from Light House on Marina Beach to East Coast Road in Kottivakkam, the state government intends to revive the project. The alignment, however, is likely to change because the proposal is to build it as a “Sea Link Bridge”.
The proposal was one of six ‘future highway projects’ for the city reviewed by Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, who also oversees the Special Initiatives Department.
“It is in a very preliminary stage. A feasibility study will soon be carried out to finalize the alignment for the proposed sea link bridge,” sources said, adding that the project was mooted to decongest Santhome High Road, Greenways Road, Sardar Patel Road, and Lattice Bridge Road, and provide a direct link to ECR from the city center.
Elliot’s Beach
“It is in a very early stage. According to sources, a feasibility study will be conducted soon to finalize the alignment for the proposed sea link bridge. The project was proposed to relieve traffic congestion on Santhome High Road, Greenways Road, Sardar Patel Road, and Lattice Bridge Road, as well as provide a direct link to ECR from the city centre.
In 2007, the department proposed a 9.7-kilometer elevated link road from Light House to ECR near Kottivakkam, to be built in two phases. In the first phase, it intended to build an elevated road connecting Light House to Besant Nagar near Ururkuppam. The second phase, from Besant Nagar to East Coast Road, followed the existing alignment along the coast.
On February 21, 2020, the Madras High Court, citing severe traffic congestion on Greenways Road and DGS Dhinakaran Road, directed the government and Greater Chennai Corporation to investigate the feasibility of reconstructing the Loop Road, which previously extended to Besant Nagar.
When asked, a retired highways official cited Atal Setu, the seaside road that connects Mumbai’s core areas with Navi Mumbai. “After obtaining CRZ clearance, a sea link road from Light House to Kottivakkam can be constructed. “It would help decongest the city roads,” he explained.