Ega-Valluvar Kottam flyover work to start.

Two months ago, the mayor promised to cut travel time between Ega Theatre to Valluvar Kottam to just two minutes with a 2.76km flyover connecting the two junctions. Work on the project will begin with the widening of Valluvar Kottam High Road from the Nungambakkam High Road junction up to Independence Day Park. This 750m stretch is likely to be the main bottleneck as the largest amount of land has to be acquired.

'The proposed width is 27m as per CMDA's second master plan,' said a corporation official. 'There are a lot of encroachments on this stretch. Corporation will complete a study on the encroachments, land and environment impact before widening it,' he said. The proposal for widening will be tabled for approval at this month's council meet.

A public consultation for the Rs. 1,100-crore project was held in July. The flyover, which will run through the heart of the city, will require 38,000sqm of land. Of this, 27,000sqm will have to be acquired from private land owners at a cost of Rs. 750 crore to the corporation. Most of the compensation will have to paid to those living on Valluvar Kottam High Road from the point where it touches Nungambakkam High Road up to Independence Day Park. The park, belonging to the corporation, will lose 3,300sqm of land.

TOI