A six-lane steel bridge across Buckingham Canal will soon link Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and East Coast Road (ECR), easing traffic congestion and improving connectivity across South Chennai.
🚦 Bridging the Gap Between OMR and ECR
Chennai’s infrastructure is set to receive a major boost with the upcoming construction of a high-level steel bridge connecting Thoraipakkam (OMR) and Neelankarai (ECR). Currently, the only connections between OMR and ECR are through Tiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur—11 kilometers apart. The new bridge aims to serve as a vital mid-point connector.
🏗️ Key Features of the Upcoming Steel Bridge
The planned steel bridge across Buckingham Canal brings a range of thoughtful and high-impact design elements to improve mobility in Chennai:
- Six-Lane High-Level Bridge: A 36-meter-wide structure to accommodate heavy traffic volume across OMR and ECR.
- Vehicular Underpasses: On both sides of the canal to ensure smooth movement of local traffic.
- Approach and Bund Roads: Strategically laid out to improve feeder traffic flow from nearby residential areas.
- 1.4 KM Link Road: Connecting Neelankarai on ECR to the OMR–Pallavaram–Thoraipakkam Radial Road junction.
- Boat-Friendly Vertical Clearance: The bridge will be designed with sufficient height to allow boats to pass beneath, ensuring smooth water traffic along the Buckingham Canal.
- Government-Cleared Design: The Inland Waterways Authority of India has cleared the project by issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC), ensuring safe navigation with a vertical clearance of 4 meters above the maximum flood level.
This project not only supports smoother road travel but also aligns with the city’s vision of multi-modal transport infrastructure, integrating waterways with roadways.
🛣️ Why This Bridge Matters
The new link road will directly connect several arterial routes such as:
- GST Road
- Mount–Madipakkam Road
- Velachery–Tambaram Road
- OMR and ECR
Commuters will enjoy reduced travel time and less congestion, especially at the typically jammed Tiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur junctions. Officials estimate the project could divert up to 40% of traffic from the busy OMR-Pallavaram Thoraipakkam Radial Road.
For travelers heading from GST Road to ECR, this bridge offers a direct route via Thoraipakkam, streamlining airport access and daily commutes.
🚧 Status of Construction and Timeline
- Phase 1 of the link road (860 meters from the OMR side) is already complete.
- The remaining 600 meters on the ECR side is pending, with compensation already paid to residents of CLRI Nagar for land acquisition.
- Construction is expected to begin by the end of April and take approximately 9 months to complete.
🏘️ Resettlement and Land Acquisition
Progress hasn’t come without challenges. Around 43 families residing on WRD land in Thoraipakkam will need to be resettled. The Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board is overseeing the relocation process. Simultaneously, land acquisition on the Neelankarai side has already begun, with compensation underway.
To ensure full connectivity, cooperation is needed from the Revenue and Water Resources Departments for clearing remaining encroachments.
🚙 Real Impact on Residents
The current lack of proper connectors between OMR and ECR forces commuters to rely on outdated pedestrian bridges or take long detours. This not only causes severe traffic jams but also raises safety concerns, especially with heavy vehicles using unsuitable routes.
The new bridge will address these challenges, ensuring smoother, safer, and faster travel for thousands of daily commuters in Chennai.