New entry/exit at Thiruneermalai to offer shorter route to airport, IT Corridor via Chennai Bypass

CHENNAI: Motorists from Chennai’s northern and western suburbs will soon have a quicker route to the airport and the IT Corridor, with the NHAI proposing new entry and exit ramps at the upcoming Thiruneermalai toll plaza on the Chennai Bypass.

The new toll plaza, which will replace the existing one at Vanagaram, is designed to ease traffic flow, enhance road safety, and provide seamless connectivity to the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) and southern parts of the city.

The initiative is part of a Rs 63.23-crore project aimed at improving safety and streamlining traffic along the busy Chennai Bypass. As per the plan, there will be several key components, including construction of a six-lane vehicular underpass (VUP) at Vanagaram junction, a new six-lane toll plaza at Thiruneermalai, entry and exit ramps near Thiruneermalai, a causeway across the Cooum near Maduravoyal, a pedestrian foot overbridge near Decathlon in Ambattur, and improvements to the existing Surapattu toll plaza.

For regular commuters, the relocation of the toll plaza will immediately relieve bottlenecks and delays at Vanagaram, one of the most accident-prone stretches of the bypass. “We are proposing to construct a six-lane vehicular underpass at the Vanagaram toll plaza location to allow local vehicles to cross using the service roads on both sides. Due to heavy local traffic cutting across the bypass, there are frequent accidents and slowdowns on the main carriageway,” said a senior NHAI official.

The new toll plaza at Thiruneermalai will feature six lanes in each direction, compared to the existing four-lane setup at Vanagaram, allowing smoother vehicle movement and faster toll processing. The planned entry and exit ramps connecting to MEPZ will serve as a direct link to GST Road, significantly cutting travel time to the airport and IT Corridor from areas such as Ambattur, Madhavaram, Puzhal, Porur, and Maduravoyal.

“Providing an exit at Thiruneermalai will help motorists going towards the airport or the southern part of the city, including Velachery, Pallikaranai, OMR, and ECR via Pallavaram. People will save time and distance through the proposed entry and exit,” said K Saravanan, a call taxi driver.

Pedestrian safety has also been prioritised in the project. The proposed foot overbridge near Decathlon in Ambattur will help people cross the busy bypass safely, addressing long-standing concerns as several residential complexes have developed on both sides of the road. In addition, a new causeway across the Cooum between Ambattur and Maduravoyal will improve local connectivity, complementing the existing structure on the opposite side of the bypass.

The state government had earlier announced plans to enhance connectivity in the same corridor. In April 2023, Highways Minister EV Velu had informed the Assembly that Rs 1 crore had been allocated for preparing a detailed project report for a 3.2-km elevated corridor linking the Pallavaram grade separator on GST Road with the Chennai Bypass via Thiruneermalai. The corridor was intended to help motorists join the bypass directly from Pallavaram-Thirumudivakkam Road, but the proposal was later dropped.