IT Corridor Road project

[satish]

Originally Posted by ferrari_fan

very true.. it's a really good road, but the time they're taking over it is simply ridiculous.. i'm very impressed with the job they've done to build a high quality road like this, but the delays are so great that a great deal of appreciation disappears.. that's how India works unfortunately..

by the time it finally gets completed i guess the traffic volume will be so high that they'll have to look at an elevated expy over this one, just like the B'lore-Hosur toll road.. which will take another 5 years to complete, then they'll take up a metro which will again take 5-odd years to build..

so i guess it'll take 15-20 years time for ITE and its environs to transform into a world-class commercial + residential belt..

edit : nice pic of velachery station btw..

now that's another sad story of never-ending waits for completion - god only knows when the mrts will start running upto velachery..

I don't think western countries would have done it any faster. It is only in India where work happens 24x7. We work harder than US. EU even has laws that limit work week to 40 hours.

And I don't think we need elevated road over ITE anytime soon. Couple of flyovers certainly. Hosur Rd in Bangalore is a 4 lane road + 2 service lanes. In Chennai it is a 6+2 lane road. And ITE is supported well by ECR and Velacheri-Tambaram road which run parallel on either side. Hosur rd has no such support roads. You were forced to come to Silk board jn to reach rest of city.

[SURYA]

Originally Posted by satish

I don't think western countries would have done it any faster. It is only in India where work happens 24x7. We work harder than US. EU even has laws that limit work week to 40 hours.

And I don't think we need elevated road over ITE anytime soon. Couple of flyovers certainly. Hosur Rd in Bangalore is a 4 lane road + 2 service lanes. In Chennai it is a 6+2 lane road. And ITE is supported well by ECR and Velacheri-Tambaram road which run parallel on either side. Hosur rd has no such support roads. You were forced to come to Silk board jn to reach rest of city.

Will it be a better idea if all chennai city roads are handed over to TNRDC like they have LTA(Land Transport Authority) in singapore?It will make sure that chennai roads are truly world class.Are politicians thinking on these lines?

[WillyWick]

Come on Satish, this highway is definatelybeing constructed slowly by global standards.

[senty]

Day by Day, rain after rain, its getting difficult to ride on OMR. I think the Gov is waiting for the new IT Corridor to come up and the present condition is too bad... foreign clients of my co are really unhappy with the infra of Chennai... some ways to enter IT Corridor like the madhya kailash juntion, Velacherry taramani rd, thiruvanmiyur juction are choking up with traffic in peak hrs...
recently The hindu carried an article about german entrepreneurs who were unhappy abt the traffic jam and bad infrastructure of chennai[forgot the date]...

[bharathkasthuri]

Originally Posted by senty

Day by Day, rain after rain, its getting difficult to ride on OMR. I think the Gov is waiting for the new IT Corridor to come up and the present condition is too bad... foreign clients of my co are really unhappy with the infra of Chennai... some ways to enter IT Corridor like the madhya kailash juntion, Velacherry taramani rd, thiruvanmiyur juction are choking up with traffic in peak hrs...
recently The hindu carried an article about german entrepreneurs who were unhappy abt the traffic jam and bad infrastructure of chennai[forgot the date]...

Chennai: Chennaiites will have to wait till the end of the monsoon for the repair of roads damaged by the heavy rains.

The Chennai Corporation would be able to start road works only after the rains are over, as water prevents bitumen from setting, Corporation Mayor M. Subramanian said. Corporation officials would assess the damage and call for tenders for road repairs after the monsoon.

Mr. Subramanian said that he had directed Corporation officials to fill potholes with debris as a temporary measure for some roads. The Roads Department of the Corporation is responsible for the maintenance of about 2,700 kilometres out of the total road length of 2,850 kilometres in Chennai. The rest is maintained by the Highways Department.

Many roads in the city have developed potholes after the rains. "The craters are very dangerous, as motorists and pedestrians can't see them when the roads are inundated," said R. Dhanya, a two-wheeler rider, who uses the Velachery High Road.

In Anna Nagar, stagnant water has battered Fourth Avenue Road, stretches of the Sixth Avenue Road and the 20th Main Road. T. Nagar's Bazullah Road, lanes off Thirumalai Pillai Road and some streets off North Usman Road have also been badly affected.

Source : http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/10/stor...1017360300.htm

[Anniyan]

The first phase of the Information Technology corridor project (Madhya Kailash junction to Taramani-Velachery road junction) is likely to be completed by the end of this month. According to the revised schedule drawn up in June, the work on the first phase was to have been completed by October, according to a spokesperson of the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, the executing agency. Though the work was to be carried out every day in two shifts, "unanticipated rainfall" in the last three months, particularly in the evenings, upset the plan.

As for the second and final phase (up to Siruseri), the official said the work would be finished by May/June 2008. Noting that land acquisition was no longer an issue, he said land for most of the stretch was available.

Chennai Metrowater is scheduled to lay water and sewer lines for about 20 km (beyond Perungudi), and this would be synchronised with work on the IT corridor.

Resignation accepted

The spokesperson said the Board of Directors of the company had accepted the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer Rohit Modi. Till the appointment of his successor, an official of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), one of the promoters of the TNRDC, would look after the company. The change of guard would not hamper progress of the work, the spokesperson said.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/21/stor...2106480400.htm

[ferrari_fan]

As for the second and final phase (up to Siruseri), the official said the work would be finished by May/June 2008. Noting that land acquisition was no longer an issue, he said land for most of the stretch was available.

it's taken them well over 4 months to bring less than 3kms of the road to partial completion.. there's a lot of work is still in progress, mind you, and it looks likely that the end-Nov deadline will also be missed..

and that too with their entire workforce brought in to concentrate on this small stretch..

saying that the remaining 20kms will be done in 6-7 months is unrealistic to say the least..

i honestly expect this project to be completed only by end-07 or possibly early-08..

at least, even though its awfully delayed, i guess it's still a fantastic road, and if a few interchanges are built, it'll be a great drive..

[Tranquil]

The link road connecting ECR and OMR at Sholinganallur / Akkarai was planned to be widened to 100 feet. According to sources, plans are now afoot to widen it further. Land for a total width of 200 feet are planned to be acquired.

[kannan infratech]

When there is a will, there will be ways.

The Malaysian contractor for OMR is no match for our own RATNAs - L&T, Gammon, GMR. IVRCL etc. It is being observed that South East Asia based companies are more hype and less quality. Mobilisation is the main crux of the problem for the Malaysian contractor.

Perungudi stretch is in legal trouble. Unless the Govt passes a bill and acquire en masse (even for future requirements - 8 lanes), we will continue to have this problem.

The design and masterplan have huge gaps and we will encounter shortage of capacity in no time. It is better to use our own talents, who have proved their mettle in the Gulf and Africa.

Taking a right turn & U Turn is going to be nightmare in all junctions along OMR. Cows, Bicycles and slow moving vehicles will continue to pose problems unless a solution is found for them (You can not avoid them at this point).

Water crossing at Karappakkam and Padur have also not been taken into account. With huge developments, these channels can not handle the entire water (that will be rerouted through these) that will be drained into Buckingham canal.

It has become a tamasha. When we say that this is the IT Corridor, people ask "Where is the corridor?" Even the present Govt has not rectified the mistakes and taken corrective actions.

[Sridhar]

I have also been unable to understand why no interchanges were planned as part of the project. There is definitely a need for an interchange at Madhya Kailash and it is planned, but not as part of the IT expressway project and without any deadline as of now. The Velachery turnoff is another intersection needing an interchange right now as is the one towards ECR. Other intersections may not need one right away but will eventually struggle to cope with traffic without interchanges.

[WillyWick]

Originally Posted by ferrari_fan

it's taken them well over 4 months to bring less than 3kms of the road to partial completion.. there's a lot of work is still in progress, mind you, and it looks likely that the end-Nov deadline will also be missed..

and that too with their entire workforce brought in to concentrate on this small stretch..

saying that the remaining 20kms will be done in 6-7 months is unrealistic to say the least..

i honestly expect this project to be completed only by end-07 or possibly early-08..

at least, even though its awfully delayed, i guess it's still a fantastic road, and if a few interchanges are built, it'll be a great drive..

Yeah I have have the same concerns, hope they complete it by the end of the decade.

They have fired the head Mr Modi, hope the new person taking charge could show some improvements.

[satish]

Originally Posted by Anniyan

As for the second and final phase (up to Siruseri), the official said the work would be finished by May/June 2008. Noting that land acquisition was no longer an issue, he said land for most of the stretch was available.

June 2008? I don't know if that was a typo or if it was deliberate. I suppose it will be June 2008 when 100% is complete. But I still believe they would complete the main 6 lanes by mid next year.

Stretch between Tidel and Madhya Kailash is fantastic day/night. This is the fastest stretch by far anywhere in Chennai and I generally tend to drive fast. But it feels so good driving here that I slow down to stay on this road for a little longer. It's not going to last too long, so might as well enjoy now before thousands of cars zoom in the next couple of years. But I think I might be driving against the traffic from Thiruvanmiyur to city. I very often see traffic piled up all the way on the IIT flyover in the opposite direction.

[bharathkasthuri]

Business-class hotel on IT corridor (The Rs. 30 crore project will be completed by year-end )

Chennai: The hotel's banquet halls are called JAVA, UNIX and Domain. Guests can enjoy wi-fi connectivity and data port facilities. The location is in the neighbourhood of IT giants in Chennai.

Fortune Select Palms is the city's new business-class hotel, touted as the first on the IT corridor.

It seeks to cater for travellers associated with the software industry. The property is owned by Vikram Aggarwal of VVT Hotels and managed by ITC Welcom Group.

"The total project cost is about Rs. 30 crore. It will be completed by the year-end," Mr. Aggarwal told reporters on Tuesday. As of now, 66 rooms of the total 129 are ready for use.

Main revenue


The hotel's promoters believe that the main revenue would be generated from travellers linked to the IT industry. As it is close to IT parks and software companies, guests can save up travel time, said R. Ramani, General Manager of Fortune Select Palms. He also expects occupancy rate to increase on weekends due to the proximity to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry.

A 24-hour coffee shop, a restaurant exclusively for Chinese and Japanese cuisine and a swimming pool are some of the interesting features of the hotel.

The hotel has sought a bar licence and is also planning a health club in the future. Tariff for a standard room is Rs. 6,000, a club room Rs. 7,000 and a suite Rs. 9,000. An introductory tariff of Rs. 5,000 (standard room) is on offer till March 2006.


http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/22/stor...2216940500.htm

[ferrari_fan]

Originally Posted by satish

June 2008? I don't know if that was a typo or if it was deliberate. I suppose it will be June 2008 when 100% is complete. But I still believe they would complete the main 6 lanes by mid next year.

oh gosh - i didn't notice that - i just assumed it would be 2007..

may/june 2008 is awful if it is true - that would mean the project is delayed by well over 2 years in total..

but then, realistically, going by the pace of work, it does look likely..

this sucks..

[satish]

Originally Posted by ferrari_fan

oh gosh - i didn't notice that - i just assumed it would be 2007..

may/june 2008 is awful if it is true - that would mean the project is delayed by well over 2 years in total..

but then, realistically, going by the pace of work, it does look likely..

this sucks..

actually i wouldn't call it delay. original estimates were highly optimistic. Even by NHAI standards, i think we should expect a 25 km stretch to take about 4 years. it's not correct to say nhai they built 5000 km in 6 years. it is broken down to multiple components and each one is typically about 30-40 km. barring l&t, most others took 3+ years. if you include land acqusition time, then it was about 6 years on an average. and if it took that much time to build roads through villages and small towns, i think it is incredible that IT corridor has reached this stage in 2 years since contract was awarded.

[ferrari_fan]

honestly i don't find it incredible at all that somebody has built 2 kms of road in 2 years..

pretty shocking inefficiency imo.. 4 years to improve an existing 4-lane road?

and just look at how they've let the existing road go to shambles - at 7pm during evening peak hour, it takes over an hour and a half to cross under 2 kms near kandanchavadi and kottivakkam.. sholinganallur is another disaster area..

i've got pics of the *ahem* 'IT Corridor' in its current state, and maybe finally when this project is finally completed, we can look at the comparison and laugh.. right now, i don't think anyone finds the position funny..

if the TNRDC guys/the malaysian dudes/whoever is currently in charge is going to take their own sweet time with the new road, the least they can do is to make the existing road at least motorable - many craters on the road are over a foot deep and 6-7 feet wide.. there's no way to avoid them..
my car's had 2 punctures since the monsoon began, and 3 bikes have gone into holes in the road and fallen on my car..

this is hardly the face Chennai should be projecting to the high-end execs who use this road..

hope they fix some of it when the monsoons are done..

[kannan infratech]

Originally Posted by Sridhar

I have also been unable to understand why no interchanges were planned as part of the project. There is definitely a need for an interchange at Madhya Kailash and it is planned, but not as part of the IT expressway project and without any deadline as of now. The Velachery turnoff is another intersection needing an interchange right now as is the one towards ECR. Other intersections may not need one right away but will eventually struggle to cope with traffic without interchanges.

As per the new draft masterplan, Madya Kailash junction will have a road interchange, but the details are missing. From the past discussions we had, I can assume that the following is the most possible.

There will be a new 4 -6 lane road connecting Nanadanam (Mount Road) to Madya Kailash along the bank of the Adyar upto Kotturpuram station (including a crossing across Gandhi Mandapam Road near ADYAR HOUSE) and along Buckingham canal thereafter. I saw sand filling being done to widen the bank ( I am not sure whether it is the part of the road project).

CLRI refused to give their land for the interchange since the Kendriya Vidyalaya inside has to be shifted. Slum Clearance Board Tenements are also very difficult to be shifted.

ILO on whose lands Madya kailash is situated has been magnanimous and has allowed TNRDC to plan a road for connecting OMR to SP Road (free left turn) behind Madya Kailash Temple. Even the temple will be shifted later if a need arises.

The bridge across Buckingham Canal on SP Road need to be widened and a free left turn to turn into OMR has to be planned ( I did not see any proposal for this). During the recent corporation zone X meeting, people complained that pedestrians crossings on all four sides of this junction are missing and bus stops have not been put in proper places.

SP Road can not be elevated at this Junction due to the MRTS bridge. But the new proposed road can be elevated in North South direction.

[senty]

Originally Posted by kannan infratech

As per the new draft masterplan, Madya Kailash junction will have a road interchange, but the details are missing. From the past discussions we had, I can assume that the following is the most possible.

There will be a new 4 -6 lane road connecting Nanadanam (Mount Road) to Madya Kailash along the bank of the Adyar upto Kotturpuram station (including a crossing across Gandhi Mandapam Road near ADYAR HOUSE) and along Buckingham canal thereafter. I saw sand filling being done to widen the bank ( I am not sure whether it is the part of the road project).

CLRI refused to give their land for the interchange since the Kendriya Vidyalaya inside has to be shifted. Slum Clearance Board Tenements are also very difficult to be shifted.

ILO on whose lands Madya kailash is situated has been magnanimous and has allowed TNRDC to plan a road for connecting OMR to SP Road (free left turn) behind Madya Kailash Temple. Even the temple will be shifted later if a need arises.

The bridge across Buckingham Canal on SP Road need to be widened and a free left turn to turn into OMR has to be planned ( I did not see any proposal for this). During the recent corporation zone X meeting, people complained that pedestrians crossings on all four sides of this junction are missing and bus stops have not been put in proper places.

SP Road can not be elevated at this Junction due to the MRTS bridge. But the new proposed road can be elevated in North South direction.

What about Tiruvanmiyur/It corridor junction? there is huge traffic piling up here. MRTS bridge is just above the junction and so no flyover is possible. possible sol wd be to have flyover on IT Corridor or to have a subway. But again that will take abother decade to complete.

[ferrari_fan]

as i see it, for smooth traffic flow, at least 8 interchanges need to be built:

1. Madhya Kailash (already being planned?)
2. Tiruvanmiyur Bridge Junction (i heard an underpass was being planned? any news?)
3. NIFT junction to access Ascendas
4. SRP Tools junction
5. Perungudi Bypass Road intersection (at Perungudi, to access RMZ, Shapoorji Pallonji etc tech parks on that road.. it's a Y-junction, and it's currently very risky..)
6. 200 ft Radial Ring road junction in Thoraipakkam (the road connect to Pallavaram, and will become the main access to the airport from ITE)
7. Sholinganallur (junction of ITE, ITE-ECR Link and Shol'ur-Medavakkam main road)
8. entry to Siruseri Tech park

anything i missed?

also, how come there is no provision for subways/overhead bridges for pedestrians?

people have already started jumping across the median - not an easy task mind you - and someone's bound to get hit sooner or later..

are they going to signalize pedestrian crossings too?

coz then it'll be constant start-stop traffic, in which case the whole concept of the IT Expressway falls flat on its face..

if anyone can clarify, that'd be great..

[ferrari_fan]

Originally Posted by kannan_infratech

There will be a new 4 -6 lane road connecting Nanadanam (Mount Road) to Madya Kailash along the bank of the Adyar upto Kotturpuram station (including a crossing across Gandhi Mandapam Road near ADYAR HOUSE) and along Buckingham canal thereafter. I saw sand filling being done to widen the bank ( I am not sure whether it is the part of the road project).

this is a pic i took in Kotturpuram a couple of months ago - i guess this is what you were talking about?



even at the width you see in this pic, it can be a quick ECR-style 2-lane road, and even that'll be a big help..

how would this road be connected to the Madhya Kailash junction? the canal is occupied by the MRTS track, and the small road along the banks of the canal is very narrow..