HIGHWAYS AND MINOR PORTS

DEPARTMENT

Policy Note

2024-2025

Demand No.21

E.V. VELU
Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports Department

©
Government of Tamil Nadu
2024

Printed by Govt. Central Press, Chennai - 600 001.

 INDEX

1 INTRODUCTION 1
2 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 13
3 MAJOR SCHEMES/PROJECTS 33
STATE FUNDED SCHEMES/
3.1 33
PROJECTS
3.1.1COMPREHENSIVE ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE 33
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
3.1.1.1 CHIEF MINISTER’S
ROAD DEVELOPMENT 34
PROGRAMME

3.1.6 CHENNAI METROPOLITAN

58
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
UPGRADATION OF PANCHAYAT
UNION ROADS / PANCHAYAT
3.2 65
ROADS TO OTHER DISTRICT
ROADS STANDARD
FORMATION OF BYPASSES/
3.3 67
LINK ROADS
CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH-LEVEL
3.4 69
BRIDGES
CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD OVER
3.5 BRIDGES/ ROAD UNDER BRIDGES/ 72
LIMITED USE SUBWAY
3.6 GRADE SEPARATORS 74
CONSTRUCTION OF ELEVATED
3.7 76
CORRIDOR
3.8 MAINTENANCE WORKS 76
 INDEX

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA FUNDED

3.9 78
SCHEMES

3.10 DEPOSIT WORKS 84

3.11 e-INITIATIVES 87
4 EXTERNALLY AIDED PROJECTS 89
TAMILNADU ROAD SECTOR
4.1 89
PROJECT -II
CHENNAI KANYAKUMARI
4.2 93
INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR PROJECT
4.3 CHENNAI PERIPHERAL RING ROAD 99
5 ROAD SAFETY 103
RESEARCH,TESTING, QUALITY
6 111
CONTROL AND TRAINING
TAMIL NADU ROAD DEVELOPMENT
7 118
COMPANY LTD

TAMIL NADU ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

8 122
ROAD SAFETY m
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
and NGOs.

9 TAMIL NADU MARITIME BOARD 125

POOMPUHAR SHIPPING
10 137
CORPORATION LIMITED
11 INITIATIVES 142
12 BUDGETARY ALLOCATION 155
 1. INTRODUCTION

Road Infrastructure is the key enabler in

facilitating development of the State. Safe,
reliable and efficient road infrastructure for
transportation of goods and commodities is an
essential pre-requisite for economic growth.
Road networks, apart from triggering economic
growth, significantly contribute to inclusive social
development. Vital sectors, particularly
Agriculture, Industry and Tourism predominantly
depend on the road network for healthy growth.
Standard of living, growth indices, overall
development of the State - all stand a testimony
to the keen interest evinced in developing road
infrastructure by the Government.

Tamil Nadu boasts the second longest

coastline in the Country with a length of 1076 km.
With 3 major ports and 17 minor ports, the State
has the potential to evolve as a hub for trade,

1
both in the domestic and international arena.
There is a huge potential to promote the export
and port-based industrial sectors.

1.1 HIGHWAYS AND MINOR PORTS

The department caters to the demand of road

network based on the increasing traffic intensity.
The objectives are to provide resilient, safe,
reliable and efficient road infrastructure. The core
activity is to provide all-weather well-connected
and robust roads and bridges throughout the
State. Upgradation of roads based on traffic
intensity, bridging across water bodies, Road Over
Bridges / Road Under Bridges (ROB/RUBs) across
level crossings, grade separators /
Elevated corridors in congested locations in towns
and cities, ring roads, bypasses around towns and
cities, maintaining the existing road network to
better service conditions are the primary
mandates given to the department. These apart,
providing green highways, road safety and

2
capacity augmentation of human resources are
the key focus areas of the department.

Based on the connectivity, traffic intensity,

places of importance, roads are classified into
different categories. National Highways and
State Highways normally connect State
headquarters, District headquarters, cities, major
tourist places, industrial hubs etc., Major District
Roads (MDRs) and Other District Roads (ODRs)
normally provide connectivity to marketing
centres, production centres, Taluk or Block
headquarters etc.,

3
 The different categories of roads within the
state are as follows;

Length in
Classification of Roads
km.

State National
1677
Highways Wing
National
National Highway
Highways
Authority of India 5128
(NH)
(NHAI)

Sub-Total 6805

State Highways (SH) 12349

Major District Roads (MDR) 12034

Other District Roads (ODR) 42833

Length of roads
67216
(other than NH)

Total Length of Roads

74021
(including NH)

4
 State Highways (SH), Major District Roads
(MDR) and Other District Roads (ODR) of
67216 km length are under the control of the
State Government. National Highways (NH) of
6805 km are being maintained by the Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH),
Government of India. As the traffic flow increases,
roads are upgraded to the next higher category
with the provision of additional lanes, if required.
The details of roads, lane configuration-wise
under different categories, are as follows;

5
 Intermediate lane

Two Lane with

Double Lane
Single Lane

Eight Lane
Four Lane
Shoulder
Category

Six Lane
Paved

Total
(Length in km.)

National
Highways - - 1282 2383 2735 384 21 6805
(NH)

State
Highways 37 315 6810 3124 1804 259 - 12349
(SH)

Major
District
679 4880 5939 452 76 8 - 12034
Roads
(MDR)

Other
District
33541 7606 1569 96 17 4 - 42833
Roads
(ODR)

Total
34257 12801 15600 6055 4632 655 21 74021

The details of structures maintained by

Highways department are as follows;

6
 Sl.
Types of Structures Nos.
No.

1 Culverts 1,33,949

2 Major Bridges and Minor Bridges* 9,183

3 Grade Separators 76

4 ROBs at Railway level crossing 150

5 RUBs at Railway level crossing 70

Pedestrian Sub Ways/ Limited

6 15
Use Subways

Total 1,43,443

* Linear waterway of minor bridges is between 6

and 60m, whereas for major bridges it is more
than 60m.

Three major ports are under the control of

the Government of India. 17 Minor Ports, which
are mostly captive ports are under the control of
the Government of Tamil Nadu.

7
1.2 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
(SDGS)

United Nations during the summit held in

2015 set the agenda with goals to better peoples’
lives, promote prosperity and well-being of all the
people, set-up 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) to be achieved by the year 2030. The
State-specific indicators have been assigned for
all sectors to monitor the State level performance
related to SDGs. The specific indicators related to
the following goals have been assigned to the
department.

Target 3.6: By 2020, halve the number of global

deaths and injuries from road traffic
accidents.

The specific objective related to this goal is to

reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to
road crashes. The reduction in crashes is
achieved through integrated and comprehensive

8
action-plan by key stakeholders, viz.,
Enforcement, Engineering, Emergency Care,
Transport and Education agencies (awareness
related to road rules).

Safe Engineering practices at all stages of a

project, ie., planning, design, construction,
maintenance enhance safety resulting in
reduction in road crashes. With this background,
special focus is bestowed on preventing road
crashes through better Engineering of road
infrastructure. Identification of Black-spots and
improving them continually through temporary
and permanent measures, curve improvements,
junction design to proper standards, Road Safety
Audit, awareness programs, coordinated efforts
with other stakeholder departments, institutional
set-up such as an exclusive Road Safety Wing
(RSW) in the department – are some of the
major initiatives aimed at minimising the road
crashes and thereby reducing loss of lives.

9
Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable
and resilient infrastructure, including
regional and trans-border
infrastructure, to support economic
development and human well-being,
with a focus on affordable and
equitable access for all.

The objective of this goal is to develop better

infrastructure to ensure the social and economic
equitability and prosperity of the Nation.
This department develops the road infrastructure
for enhancing connectivity and capacity through
various schemes. The performance of the above
indicator is as follows;

10
 Year
Sl. 2015
Indicators
No 2022 2023
(Base
Year)

9.1.1b - Length of SH
1 12,093 12,291 12,349
road network (km)

9.1.1b.1 - Length of 4
2 lane to SH - 13.96 16.70
(Proportion in %)

9.1.1c – Length of
3 11,617 12,034 12,034
MDR (km)

9.1.1c.1 - Length of
4 27.23 48.80 53.81
Two lane to MDR (%)

9.1.1d – Length of
5 33,756 42,057 42,833
ODR (km)

9.1.1d.1 - Length of
6 2.51 3.62 3.94
Two lane to ODR (%)

9.1.1d.2 - Length of
7 Single Lane to ODR 88.01 79.67 78.30
(%)

11
 Capacity augmentation of roads through
upgradation in category is a continued effort by
the department.

12
 2. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Tamil Nadu is the only State in the Country

with an exclusive Department for Highways
infrastructure, since 1946. Prior to this
it remained under the folds of the Public Works
Department. The post of Secretary to Government
for Highways Department was created in 1996.
Minor ports were later brought under the control
of the department and was renamed as Highways
and Minor Ports department in the year 2008.

The department completed 75 years of its

functioning in the year 2022 and it celebrated its
Platinum Jubilee in the presence of Hon’ble Chief
Minister. The department has many achievements
and laurels to its credit. Road network of various
categories, to a length of 67216 km, spread
across the entire length and breadth of the State,
is maintained by the department.

13
 The normal phases of maintaining road
infrastructure are planning, design, construction,
quality control and maintenance. Road safety and
greenery are also important elements of road
infrastructure. Based on the traffic intensity and
local conditions, roads, bridges, ROB/RUBs, grade
separators, elevated corridors, bypasses, ring
roads, vehicular under passes (VUPs), pedestrian
under passes, foot-over bridges (FOBs) etc., are
constructed either in isolation or combination.
There are several wings / organisations, which are
involved in the construction and maintenance of
the above.

The organisational structure and functions of

the department are as follows;

14
 Highways and Minor Ports Department

Wings Companies /
Corporations/
Boards
• The Director General

• Construction and • Tamil Nadu Road

Maintenance Development
• National Highways Company

• NABARD and Rural Roads • Tamil Nadu Road

• Projects Infrastructure
Development
• Metro
Corporation
• Highways Research
• Tamil Nadu Maritime
Station
Board
• Planning, Designs and
• Poompuhar Shipping
Investigation
Corporation Limited
• Tamil Nadu Road Sector
Project-II

• Chennai Kanniyakumari
Industrial Corridor Project
/ Chennai Peripheral Ring
Road

15
2.1 FUNCTIONS

2.1.1 Office of the Director General

The Director General co-ordinates the

activities of all the wings of the department.
The Director General also heads all technical
committees. The functions of the wing are;

• Administration.

• Inter & Intra Departmental

coordination.

• Follow-up and monitoring of appeals,

complaints related to service matters.

• Monitoring of service matters related

court cases.

• Monitoring IT initiatives such as

maintenance of department’s websites,
PMIS (Project Monitoring Information

16
 System) and other application tools for
monitoring & maintenance.

• Works entrusted by the Government.

• Coordinating activities of the following

technical committees, as a permanent
member.

Board of Engineers (BoE)

Apex technical body for taking policy

decisions on technical and other important
issues, BoE, headed by the Director General,
comprises all Chief Engineers and Director,
Highways Research Station (HRS) as its
members.

Commissionerate of Tenders (CoT)

With the Director General as its Chairman,

the CoT comprising - the Secretary to Govt.,
Finance department or his representative,
the Chief Engineer, Construction and

17
Maintenance, the Chief Engineer, NABARD
and Rural Roads and the Chief Engineer of
work concerned, offers recommendations on
tender acceptance procedures.

Revised Administrative Sanction

Committee (RASC)

This committee comprises the Director

General, the Chief Engineer of the work
concerned, the Chief Engineer
(Planning, Designs and Investigation),
Additional/ Deputy Secretary to Government
(Highways and Minor Ports Department) and
Deputy Secretary to Government (Finance
Department). The committee scrutinizes the
deviations involved in the works requiring
RAS and recommends the same to the
Government.

18
Technical Audit Committee (TAC)

Expert technical opinion on project

proposals is offered by this committee. The
Director General, the Director, HRS and all
the Chief Engineers are its members.

During the year 2023-24, 32 Assistant

Engineers, 233 Junior Draughting Officers,
66 Junior Assistants, 6 Steno Typist Grade-III
and 49 Typists have been recruited through
Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and
5 Junior Assistants and 9 Office Assistants
have been appointed on Compassionate
Grounds.

Led by the Director General, the wing

comprises 3 Joint Directors and Chief Officer
(Information Technology) in the cadre of
Divisional Engineer.

19
2.1.2 Construction and Maintenance Wing

• Maintenance of existing roads and

bridges.

• Widening, strengthening and

improvements of roads.

• Special/urgent flood restoration works.

• Road safety related works.

• Construction of bypasses and major

structures.

• improvements of stretches in urban

areas.

• Construction of Elevated Corridors /

Grade Separators.

• Construction of High-Level Bridges

(HLB).

20
 The wing is headed by a Chief Engineer,
supported by 9 Superintending Engineers, 56
Divisional Engineers (including 2 Deputy
Chief Engineers and 9 Deputy Superintending
Engineers).

2.1.3 National Highways Wing

• Upgradation of National Highways

including widening and strengthening.

• Road safety works.

• Formation of bypasses.

• Construction of HLBs, fly-overs, VUPs,

ROB/RUBs.

• Maintenance through Short-term

Maintenance Contract (STMC),
Performance Based Maintenance
Contract (PBMC), Periodical Renewal.

• Flood damage repair works.

21
 The wing is headed by a Chief Engineer,
supported by 5 Superintending Engineers
(including 1 Superintending Engineer for
Road Safety and Procurement) and
22 Divisional Engineers (including 4 Quality
control Divisional Engineers, 4 Deputy
Superintending Engineers, 2 Deputy Chief
Engineers).

2.1.4 NABARD and Rural Roads Wing

• Upgradation of Panchayat Union roads

and Panchayat roads to Other District
Roads (ODR) standards with State fund
and NABARD loan assistance.

• Construction of river bridges with loan

assistance from National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development
(NABARD) and State fund.

• Construction of ROB/RUBs under

Railway Works Programme (RWP).

22
 • Formation of bypasses in major towns.

The wing is headed by a Chief Engineer,

supported by 4 Superintending Engineers
and 19 Divisional Engineers including
4 Deputy Superintending Engineers and
1 Deputy Chief Engineer.

2.1.5 Projects Wing

• Construction of ROB/RUBs under RWP

and State-funded Schemes.

• Construction/Re-Construction of HLBs.

• Construction of grade separators and

elevated corridors to ease traffic
congestion.

• Formation of bypasses/link roads to

facilitate smooth traffic movement.

The wing is headed by a Chief Engineer,

supported by 4 Superintending Engineers

23
 and 16 Divisional Engineers including
4 Deputy Superintending Engineers and
1 Deputy Chief Engineer.

2.1.6 Metro Wing

• Construction of grade separators /

VUPs.

• Construction of HLBs.

• Widening of roads/ bridges.

• Formation of new link roads and

bypasses.

• Construction of foot over bridges.

• Construction of ROB/RUBs/Limited Use

Subways (LUSs).

Above works within the Chennai

Metropolitan Area (CMA) are executed by
the Metro wing, which is headed by a Chief
Engineer, supported by 1 Superintending

24
 Engineer and 7 Divisional Engineers
including 1 Deputy Superintending
Engineer and 1 Deputy Chief Engineer.

2.1.7 Highways Research Station

• Conducting research on use of new

materials.

• Testing on highway construction

materials.

• Providing technical guidance.

• Quality Control.

• Training.

• Road safety.

Highways Research Station (HRS) is

headed by Director, who is supported by;

1 Joint Director, HRS and 4 Deputy

Directors for testing and research,
9 Divisional Engineers for Quality Control

25
 1 Joint Director, Training Centre and
2 Deputy Directors for training

1 Superintending Engineer, Road Safety

wing and 8 Divisional Engineers for road
safety.

2.1.8 Planning, Designs and investigation

wing

• Preparation of design, drawings and

quantity estimates for major river
bridges, ROBs, RUBs, grade separators,
FOBs and other highway structures.

• Proof-checking of design and drawing

prepared by consultants and other
Government departments.

• Technical suggestions for the issuance

of permit for non-standard heavy motor
vehicles to ply on bridges.

As a special task, the wing has

standardized the design for the bridge

26
 superstructure in 16 categories of
structures and prepared relevant drawings
in booklet form, for uploading in website as
ready-reckoner for easy adoption.

This wing is headed by a Chief Engineer,

supported by a Joint Chief Engineer and
4 Divisional Engineers.

2.1.9 Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project-II

• To improve riding quality of roads to

optimize travel time and vehicle
operating expenses.

• To encourage other methods of

contracting such as Public Private
Partnership (PPP), Engineering,
Procurement and Construction (EPC)
and Output and Performance based
Road Contract (OPRC).

• Multi-stakeholder interventions to
enhance road safety scenario at the

27
 District and State levels in order to
reduce the number of road crashes.

The project is headed by a Project Director,

supported by a Chief Engineer,
a Superintending Engineer, 8 Divisional
Engineers and 3 Special District Revenue
Officers.

2.1.10 Chennai Kanniyakumari Industrial

Corridor Project
The main activity is to develop roads
connecting industrial hubs in the influence zone of
the Chennai Kanniyakumari Industrial Corridor.
Presently, 589 km of 16 State highways are being
upgraded with loan assistance from the Asian
Development Bank (ADB).

This project is headed by a Project Director,

supported by a Chief Engineer, 2 Superintending
Engineers, 6 Divisional Engineers and 4 Land

28
Acquisition Units with special District Revenue
Officers.

2.1.11 Tamil Nadu Road Development

Company Limited
• Concessionaire for East Coast Road
(Akkarai to Mamallapuram) which is a
Toll road.

• Managing Associate for

o Operation and Maintenance of

Chennai Outer Ring Road (CORR).

o Construction of Chennai Peripheral

Ring Road Project, Section-I
(Northern Port Access Road) and
Section-V (Singaperumal koil to
Poonjeri junction near
Mamallapuram - (NH332A)).

29
 o Construction of 2 bypasses, one at
Kelambakkam and other at
Tiruporur along Phase II of OMR.

o Construction of “U shaped”
Flyovers on Rajiv Gandhi Salai.

IT Express Limited - a subsidiary of

TNRDC

Concessionaire for Rajiv Gandhi Salai

- IT Expressway (from Madhya Kailash to
Siruseri).

Tamil Nadu Road Development

Company (TNRDC) and Information
Technology Expressway Ltd., (ITEL) are
being managed by the Board of Directors
with the members from Tamil Nadu
Industrial Development Corporation
(TIDCO), TIDEL, nominees from the
Government and Independent Directors
under the chairmanship of the Additional

30
 Chief Secretary, Highways and Minor Ports
Department. Both TNRDC and ITEL
companies are managed by the Managing
Director, supported by the Chief General
Manager, General Manager, Divisional
Engineer, Assistant Divisional Engineers,
Engineers and Staff.

2.1.12 Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure

Development Corporation (TNRIDC)
TNRIDC, a non-profitable company is
Implementing Agency / Managing Associate for
the following projects with funding from the
State Government or External Agencies;

• Construction of Chennai Peripheral Ring

Road Project (CPRR) - Section II, III & IV.

• Operation and Maintenance of Madurai

Ring Road.

• Construction of ROB in lieu of LC 47 near

Singaperumal koil.

31
 • Construction of Oragadam Industrial
Corridor including construction of grade
separator at Padappai Junction.

The Additional Chief Secretary to

Government, Highways and Minor Ports
Department is the Chairman and Managing
Director. The Company is managed by an
Executive Director in the rank of Chief Engineer
with the support of 1 Superintending Engineer
and 3 Divisional Engineers.

32
 3. MAJOR SCHEMES/PROJECTS

The objective of the department is to provide

better connectivity, quality and safe travel and
efficient road network. All the schemes/projects
are devised and taken-up to suit the above
objective.

3.1 STATE FUNDED SCHEMES/PROJECTS

3.1.1 Comprehensive Road Infrastructure

Development Programme
Comprehensive Road Infrastructure
Development Programme (CRIDP) is a major
scheme under which capacity augmentation of
road infrastructure is taken-up. Improvement of
road surface not only benefits the road users
through reduced wear and tear of vehicles but
also provides safe and comfortable riding
experience to road users. While widening caters
to the increased traffic intensity, strengthening

33
increases life of the pavements thereby enhancing
the utility of assets.

In the last three years, works pertaining to

widening/ improvements of 7966.11 km length of
roads and construction of 1841 bridges / culverts
at a cost of Rs.14,980.65 Cr and improvements to
Riding Quality of 5715.62 km at the cost of
Rs.1678.07 Cr have been completed.

3.1.1.1 Chief Minister’s Road Development

Programme (CMRDP)

The Hon’ble Minister for Public Works,

Highways and Minor Ports Department had
announced during the demand session 2021-22
that important State Highways connecting District
and Taluk headquarters will be widened to four-
lane for a length of 2200 km and other roads will
be widened to two-lane for a length of 6700 km in
the next 10 years. The candidate roads are
selected and prioritized based on traffic intensity.

34
 In all, for the past three years, under this
flag-ship programme, 576.94 km length of roads
have been taken-up for conversion to four-lane at
a cost of Rs.4984.22 Cr and 1709.98 km for
conversion to two-lane at the cost of
Rs.2464.82 Cr have been taken-up. Of which,
215.47 km under four-lane conversion and
1406.74 km under two-lane conversion have been
completed.

Some of the roads taken-up for widening to

four-lane under CMRDP are listed below;

1. In Kallakurichi District, widening from

Two Lane to Four Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 6/6 & 8/2 -
15/8 of Kallakurichi - Tiruvannamalai
Road (SH6) at a cost of Rs.126 Cr.

2. In Dindigul District, widening from Two

Lane to Four Lane and strengthening at

35
 km 4/0 -17/4 of Palani - Dharapuram
Road (SH83) at a cost of Rs.106 Cr.

3. In Tiruvallur District, widening from Two

Lane to Four Lane and strengthening in
km 7/0 - 16/2 of Tiruvallur - Arakkonam
Road at a cost of Rs.80 Cr.

4. In Tiruvannamalai District, widening

from Two lane to Four Lane and
strengthening at km 61/2 - 72/2 of
Arcot - Tindivanam Road (SH5) at a cost
of Rs.95 Cr.

5. In Sivagangai District, widening from

Two Lane to Four Lane and
strengthening at km 78/4 - 89/9 of
Ramanathapuram- Nainarkoil- Andakudi-
Elayankudi- Sivagangai - Melur Road
(SH34) at a cost of Rs.81 Cr.

Some of the major two-laning works taken -

up under CMRDP are listed below;

36
1. In Nagapattinam District, widening from
Intermediate Lane to Two Lane With
Paved Shoulder and improvements to
Pappakoil - Karunkanni Road from km
0/0 - 1/650 at a cost of Rs.26 Cr.

2. In Krishnagiri District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 3/6, 5/0- 10/0
of Kurubarapalli - Kothakrishnapalli road
at a cost of Rs.11 Cr.

3. In Trichy District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 30/0 - 34/0 of
Keelapalur - Pullambady (via)
Thirumalappady Road at a cost of
Rs.8 Cr.

4. In Cuddalore District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 11/0 - 12/0 of

37
 Bhuvanagiri - Kurinjipady road at a cost
of Rs.7 Cr.

5. In Dharmapuri District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 0/4 - 5/6,
strengthening at km 0/0 - 0/4
of Bommidi RS - Thoppaiyar road at a
cost of Rs.6.95 Cr.

3.1.1.2 State Highways (SH)

The State Highways to the State are akin to

veins carrying blood and oxygen to a Human
body. These stretches draw priority and attention
owing to heavy traffic intensity. In the year
2023-24, administrative sanction has been
accorded for widening, strengthening and
improvements of 547.12 km length of roads and
construction of 8 bridges / culverts at a cost of
Rs.2671.48 Cr.

Some of the major works taken-up are as follows;

38
1. In Tiruppur District, widening from Two
lane to Four lane and improvements at
km 24/8 - 29/4 of Palladam -
Dharapuram road (SH174A) at a cost of
Rs.43.08 Cr.

2. In Coimbatore District, widening from

Two Lane to Four Lane and
strengthening of Avinashi - Tiruppur -
Palladam - Pollachi - Cochin (via)
Meenkarai Road at km 92/750 - 98/2 at
a cost of Rs.42 Cr

3. In Pudukottai District, widening from

Two Lane to Four Lane and
strengthening at km 52/0 - 52/4 & 52/6
- 57/0 of Trichy - Pudukkottai -
Aranthangi - Mimisal Road (SH26) at a
cost of Rs.44 Cr.

4. In Karur District, widening from Two lane

to Four lane and improvements at km

39
 46/8 - 47/2 and 53/0 - 54/2 of Erode -
Karur Road (SH84) at a cost of
Rs.10.50 Cr.

5. In Madurai District, widening from

Multilane to Four Lane with Paved
Shoulder and strengthening in km 7/6 -
8/8 of Madurai - Thoothukudi Road
(SH32) at a cost of Rs.12 Cr.

In addition, spill-over works of widening /

improvements to 720.62 km length of roads and
construction of 61 bridges / culverts at a cost of
Rs.4610.17 Cr were closely followed-up for
execution. Widening / improvements of
723.49 km length of roads and construction of
61 bridges / culverts have been completed at a
cost of Rs.3311.63 Cr in the year 2023-24.

3.1.1.3 Major District Roads (MDRs)

Major District roads are next in the hierarchy

to State Highways carrying intense traffic. In the

40
year 2023-24, administrative sanction has been
accorded for widening, strengthening and
improvements to 546.15 km length of roads and
construction of 34 bridges/ culverts at a cost of
Rs.990.12 Cr.

Some of the works taken-up are as follows;

1. In Chengalpattu District, widening from

Two Lane to Two Lane with Paved
Shoulders and strengthening at km 7/8 -
9/6 and 14/0 - 15/4 of Mudukarai -
Kadalore Road at a cost of Rs.6.90 Cr.

2. In Vellore District, widening from Two

Lane with Paved Shoulders to Four Lane
and strengthening at km 0/0 - 1/9 of
Gandhi Nagar Main Road at a cost of
Rs.6.62 Cr.

3. In Tirupattur District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 5/2 - 6/8 and 7/0 -

41
 10/2 of Nayanacheruvu - Andhra
Pradesh Border Road at a cost of
Rs.5.50 Cr.

4. In Villupuram District, strengthening at

km 0/0 - 3/0 of Chunampet road at a
cost of Rs.2.50 Cr.

5. In Perambalur District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 34/0 - 36/0 of
Sendurai - Anganur - Agaram - Seegore
- Thirumandurai road at a cost of
Rs.3.40 Cr.

Widening/improvements to 705.44 Km length

of roads and construction of 73 bridges/culverts
at a cost of Rs.1550 Cr as spill over works were
intensely followed up for completion. Widening /
improvements to 934.49 km length of roads and
construction of 82 bridges/culverts have been

42
completed at an expenditure of Rs.1577.34 Cr in
the year 2023-24.

3.1.1.4 Other District Roads (ODRs)

Other District Roads are the backbone of

rural economy. During 2023-24, administrative
sanction has been accorded for widening and
improvements to 849.02 km length of roads and
construction of 168 bridges / culverts at a cost of
Rs.1433.88 Cr.

Some of the works taken-up are as follows;

1. In Kancheepuram District, widening from

Single Lane to Intermediate Lane and
strengthening at km 2/0 - 3/4 of
Arasanimangalam Road at a cost of
Rs.6.85 Cr.

2. In Ranipet District, widening from Single

Lane to Intermediate Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 4/0 of

43
 Peruvalayam – Karnavur - Mahendravadi
Road at a cost of Rs.5.25 Cr.

3. In Ariyalur District, widening from Single

Lane to Intermediate Lane and
strengthening at km 9/0 - 12/6 of
Unjini - Variyankaval road at a cost of
Rs.6.97 Cr.

4. In Namakkal District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 2/8 of
Molasi road at a cost of Rs.4.66 Cr.

5. In Erode District, widening from Single

Lane to Intermediate Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 3/6, 5/0 - 6/0
of Palayam - Sothanpuram road at a cost
of Rs.6.50 Cr.

6. Road to Jallikattu Arangam: Jallikattu

is an age-old traditional game of the
State, having glorious historic past.

44
Hon'ble Chief Minister announced that a
new Jallikattu stadium with world class
facilities will be constructed at
Alankanallur and an exhibition centre will
also be set up near the stadium.
Following this, the Hon'ble Minister for
Public works, Highways and Minor Ports
announced on 18.9.2022 that a two-lane
road with hard shoulders will be
constructed from Vadipatti - Tamaraipati
road to the world-class complex, at a
cost of Rs 21.70 Cr. Accordingly,
widening of Kuttimeikipatti –
Adhagaraipalam road (Other District
Road) to Jallikattu Arangam from single
lane to two lane with hard shoulder
(10 meter width) for a length of 3.30 km
including land acquisition of 8.10 ha for
uniform width of 25 meter has been
completed within record time of

45
 4 months and inaugurated by Hon'ble
Chief Minister on 24.1.2024.

In addition, efforts were made to complete

spill over works of widening/ improvements to
1091.81 km length of roads and construction of
298 bridges / culverts at a cost of Rs.2036.06 Cr.
Widening / improvements to 1515.75 km length
of roads and construction of 354 bridges /
Culverts have been completed at a cost of
Rs.2010.25 Cr in the year 2023-24.

3.1.1.5 Other District Roads – Special

Component Plan (ODR-SCP)

Under this Scheme, roads connecting

habitation with more than 40% of SC/ST
population are taken-up for improvements. In the
year 2023-24, administrative sanction has been
accorded for widening, strengthening and
improvements to 221.74 km length of roads and

46
construction of 10 bridges / culverts at a cost of
Rs.290.81 Cr.

Some of the works taken-up are as follows;

1. In Salem District, widening from Single

Lane to Intermediate Lane and
strengthening at km 0/0 - 3/0 of
Mamamji road at a cost of Rs.3.80 Cr.

2. In Nilgiris District, strengthening at km

0/0 - 1/4 of Kattery Yellanhalli road at a
cost of Rs.2.50 Cr.

3. In Mayiladuthurai District, strengthening

at km 2/6 - 3/8 of Enankudy -
Pattavilagam Road at a cost of
Rs.1.31 Cr.

4. In Theni District, widening from

Intermediate Lane to Two Lane and
strengthening at km 3/0 - 4/2 of

47
 Chinnamanur - A.Alagapuri road at a
cost of Rs.2.20 Cr.

5. In Ramanathapuram District, widening

from Single Lane to Intermediate Lane
and strengthening at km 1/0 - 4/0 of
Chathirakudi - Pooseri Road at a cost of
Rs.4.50 Cr.

In addition, on-going spill over works of

widening/ improvements extending to 153.87 km
length of roads at a cost of Rs.175.98 Cr were
also closely followed up for completion. Widening
/improvements of 289.41 km length of roads and
1 bridge have been completed at a cost of
Rs.229.86 Cr in the year 2023-24.

3.1.1.6 Improvements of Riding Quality

Programme (IRQP)

Top surface of road is normally designed for

a life-time of 5 years and the roads are to be
maintained in better condition for continued

48
serviceability, increased mobility, reduced vehicle
operating costs (VOC) and road crashes. Regular
maintenance ensures pot-hole free roads, restricts
surface deterioration, thereby lowering wear and
tear of vehicular components.

In the year 2023-24, roads with 1046.45 km

length have been sanctioned at the cost of
Rs.406.14 Cr and works are in progress. Spill-
over of 747.22 km length of road surface
improvements for Rs.510.94 Cr were being
followed-up for completion. Road works to a
length of 1699.77 km have been completed at an
expenditure of Rs.469.83 Cr in the year 2023-24.

3.1.1.7 Improvement of stretches in Urban

areas

Urban areas are characterized by commercial

activities, busy commuters movement, increased
local traffic and high demand for parking facilities.
To enable a permanent solution and to aid

49
unhindered traffic movement on State Highways,
the Department is poised for developing roads
end to end in urban limits. The Hon’ble Minister
for Public works, Highways and Minor Ports
Department, during the Budget session 2021-22,
had announced that roads in urban areas will be
improved continuously. To be widened to four-
lane, the urban stretches will be provided with
paved shoulders and drains depending on
availability of lands. If sufficient land is not
available, roads will be widened up to the end of
Right of Way (ROW).

In the year 2023-24, 24 works for a length

of 29.40 km have been taken-up at a cost of
Rs.104.62 Cr. In addition, works for a length of
83.68 km were in progress as spill-over at various
stages. 175 works for a length of 131.59 km
length of roads at a cost of Rs.578.76 Cr have
been completed in the last three years.

50
3.1.1.8 Flood Permanent Restoration Works

In the Year 2023-24, Under CRIDP Flood

Permanent Restoration, 46 Works including
14,744 m drain work, 9 culverts and 1,28,266 m
long silt catch pits have been taken-up at a cost
of Rs.105.68 Cr. Of which, 14,329 m drain work,
7 Culverts and 60,710 m long silt Catch pits have
been completed at an expenditure of Rs.68.05 Cr.
Based on Dr.V.Thirupugazh Committee’s
recommendation, 13 works at the cost of
Rs.91.73 Cr were taken up and critical works from
the point of view of preventing flood in Chennai
Metropolitan Area have been completed on
priority.

3.1.2 Chief Minister’s All Season

Uninterrupted Connectivity Scheme
During monsoon, huge volume of rainwater
flowing over the causeways hinders the free flow
of traffic across channels and rivers. As a result,
the livelihood of the people in the neighbourhood

51
of such waterbodies and channels get adversely
affected. To alleviate this problem, an
announcement during the Budget session
2021-22, was made to the effect ‘that in lieu of
existing causeways, High Level Bridges will
be constructed by the year 2026’, under
“Chief Minister’s All Season Uninterrupted
Connectivity Scheme”.

During the year 2023-24, 272 causeways

have been taken-up for conversion into HLBs
under various schemes, at a cost of
Rs.758.82 Cr. Apart, spill-over works of 283
causeways for conversion into HLB have been
closely monitored, out of which, 169 causeways
have been completed. In the past three financial
years, 1113 causeways were taken-up. So far,
795 causeways have been converted into HLBs.

52
3.1.3 Ungal Thoguthiyil Mudalamaichar
(UTM)

One of the stellar schemes announced by

the Hon’ble Chief Minister, "Ungal Thoguthiyil
Mudalamaichar" addresses major un-fulfilled
demands from every constituency as
recommended by people representatives. Under
this programme, 14 road works at a cost of
Rs.113.48 Cr, 4 Bridge works for Rs.29.70 Cr,
1 Bypass (Namakkal Bypass) for Rs.194 Cr,
12 culverts & construction of storm water drains
at 9 locations at Rs.73.48 Cr were taken-up in
which 7 road works and 1 culvert work were
completed at a cost of Rs.23.05 Cr and other
works are in progress.

3.1.4 AVENUE PLANTATION

In line with the objective of the

Government to increase the green cover to
33 percent, the Highways Department provides

53
safer and greener roads to the road users. As part
of the centenary celebrations of
Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar, a programme to
plant 5 lakh saplings on highways across Tamil
Nadu has been launched. So far, in the year
2023-24, 3,75,000 trees have been planted.

3.1.5 Disaster Management Activities

Tamil Nadu receives most of its rainfall

from northeast monsoon during the month of
November and December every year. Highways
department undertakes pre-monsoon activities in
month of August every year, which include
removal of shrubs, creepers, vegetation, plants,
obstructions and blockages in the culverts /bridge
portions to facilitate uninterrupted flow of water
during rainy season.

In the year 2023, cyclonic storm

”Michaung” formed in the Bay of Bengal caused
havoc in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and

54
Chengalpattu Districts on 3.12.2023 and
4.12.2023. Unprecedented torrential rains were
experienced in southern districts particularly in
Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar
and Kanniyakumari Districts on 17.12.2023 and
18.12.2023, unleashing untold miseries and
losses to the public.

❖ Cyclonic Storm- MICHAUNG

As a part of relief works taken-up on war-

footing, the Hon'ble Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports camped in storm-
affected areas. 300 Gang Mazdoors from the
affected areas and 500 Gang Mazdoors mobilized
from adjoining districts, were pressed into service
to tackle the crisis. A team of 15 Engineers from
adjoining districts, was constituted to monitor the
relief works. A control room, on 24/7 basis, was
established to monitor and co-ordinate the
immediate response to the damages. Mammoth
efforts were made to drain water out from the

55
flood affected areas, using pumps and generators.
26 nos. of JCB, 30 nos. of Power saws, 3 nos. of
tractor-mounted breakers and 8 nos. of tippers
were engaged at 116 locations. Post-incident
studies revealed important locations for
temporary and permanent restoration under
Phase – I. In the Year 2023-24, temporary
restoration works at a cost of Rs.65.28 Cr and
permanent restoration of flood damaged roads,
culverts / causeways, drain / median during
Michaung Cyclone at a cost Rs.248.40 Cr have
been taken-up.

❖ Unprecedented Heavy Rains in

Southern Districts

The heavy downpour in Southern districts

particularly in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi,
Virudhunagar and Kanniyakumari Districts caused
severe unprecedented flooding leading to
damages to roads and culverts. Because of
continuous rainfall, riding surfaces were severely

56
damaged. The week-long stagnation of rainwater
to a depth of a few metres caused huge and
widespread damage to roads and bridges. Several
major tanks in Tamirabarani basin got breached.
One such road i.e. Thiruchendur – Palayamkottai
– Ambasamudram, taken-up under the Asian
Development Bank Loan Assistance, got breached
at 10 locations, for a length varying between 60
and 300 m including damages to the approach of
bridge / culvert causing traffic interruption.
Plugging of such large breaches during flooding
was a major challenge. Temporary restoration
works on the above road were done on war-
footing day and night, utilizing 8 nos. of earth
mover, 5 nos. of JCB, 35 Tipper, 60 manpower
from 21.12.2023 to 24.12.2023. Due to the
tireless efforts, traffic was restored in a record
time. Responsive to the natural disasters, the
department is adept to utilize the available man-
power and machinery, in rising-up to the
occasion, within the shortest time-frame. In the

57
Year 2023-24, temporary restoration work at a
cost of Rs.184.72 Cr and permanent restoration of
flood damaged roads culverts / causeways, drain
/ median at a cost of Rs.226.60 Cr in the
Southern districts of Tamil Nadu have been
taken-up.

3.1.6 Chennai Metropolitan Development

Plan (CMDP)

Under Chennai Metropolitan Development

Plan (CMDP), projects for improving highways
infrastructure are taken-up to ensure seamless,
safe traffic and pedestrian movement within
Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). In the past
3 years, the following works have been completed
under the CMDP Scheme and opened for public
use;

1. Four-Lane grade separator at

Koyambedu at a cost of
Rs.93.50 Cr on 1.11.2021.

58
2. Two-Laned Tambaram – Velachery
arm in the Medavakkam grade
separator at a cost of
Rs.95.21 Cr on 13.5.2022.

3. Two-Level grade separator at

Velachery - Vijayanagaram junction at
a cost of Rs.145.49 Cr on 1.11.2021
and 17.9.2022.

4. Foot-over bridge with escalator to

cross GST road and to connect the
existing foot-over bridge of Railways
with ticket counter at Tambaram
Railway station at a cost of Rs.6.29 Cr
on 26.4.2023.

5. High level bridge across Buckingham

canal at Thiruvottiyur near Manali Oil
Refinery Plant at a cost of Rs.58.64 Cr
on 7.9.2023.

59
 A few projects taken-up under the Chennai
Metropolitan Development Plan (CMDP) Scheme
are as follows;

1. Grade Separators / Vehicular Under

Passes

i. Two-lane grade separator from Sardar

Patel Road to Rajiv Gandhi Salai
(OMR) at Madhya Kailash junction at a
cost of Rs.60.69 Cr is in progress.

ii. Four-Lane grade separator on Mount –

Poonamallee - Avadi road from MIOT
Hospital to Mugalivakkam at a cost of
Rs.314.48 Cr and vehicular under
pass at Madipakkam at a cost of
Rs.45.50 Cr are being executed by
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)
integrated with Metro Rail project
since the alignment for the projects
proposed by the Metro Wing

60
 synchronises with the alignment
proposed for Chennai Metro Rail
project.

iii. Construction of four-lane grade

separator at Kattupakkam junction a
portion of the work is being executed
by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL)
integrated with Metro Rail projects.

iv. Preparation of Detailed Project Report

for 6 works at a cost of Rs.3.70 Cr
and Land Acquisition for 5 works at a
cost of Rs.536.68 Cr are in progress
for the construction of grade
separators at i) Avadi Junction
ii) Kundrathur Junction iii) Kaiveli
Junction in Velachery-Tambaram road
iv) Korattur Junction v) Vanagaram
Junction vi) Ambattur Estate Bus
Depot (DPR Only).

61
2. High Level Bridges

i. HLB across Coovam river at Paruthipattu

at a cost of Rs.18.37 Cr is nearing
completion.

ii. Construction of HLBs viz., a) across

Coovam river at Padikuppam, - DPR and
LA works are completed and the work is
to be taken-up, b) across Coovam river
at Nolambur, LA work is in progress at a
cost of Rs.87.77 Cr.

iii. HLB across Rajakizhpakkam lake near

Selaiyur; DPR and LA are in progress.

3. Road Works

i. The work of widening and

strengthening the existing four lane
East Coast Road to six lane carriage-
way for a length of 0.935 km in
Kottivakkam Stretch at a cost of

62
 Rs.18.86 Cr, for a length of 1.15 km
in Palavakkam Stretch at a cost of
Rs.17.43 Cr and for a length of 6.60
km in Neelangarai, Injambakkam and
Sholinganallur stretch of East Coast
Road at a cost of Rs.134.58 Cr are in
progress.

ii. Formation of new link road connecting

OMR and ECR at Neelangarai; the
stretch from OMR to Buckingham
canal is completed at a cost of
Rs.18.25 Cr. LA is in progress for the
remaining connectivity between
Buckingham canal to ECR.

iii. For connecting GST road from

Perungalathur to Velachery-
Tambaram road at Madambakkam,
six-lane Tambaram Eastern Bypass is
being formed for a length of 9.30 km,
the work in Mappedu stretch for a

63
 length 3.05 km has already been
completed at a cost of Rs.25 Cr and
the works in Nedungundram stretch
for a length of 2.63 Km at a cost of
Rs.36.69 Cr and in Puthur stretch for
a length of 1.55 km at a cost of
Rs.55.77 Cr are in progress. For the
remaining stretches, Land Acquisition
including transfer of forest land is in
progress.

4. Pedestrian Infrastructure Facilities -

Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) with
Escalators

During 2023-24, the work of

construction of 2 FOBs, one near Nelson
Manickam Road junction on Grand Western
Trunk (GWT) Road and the other at Senthil
Nagar junction on Inner Ring Road, at a
cost Rs.30.67 Cr has been commenced.
Further, the preparation of DPR is in

64
 progress for construction of FOB near DAV
& Velammal School, Mogappair.

5. Construction of Road Over Bridges

During 2023-24, widening the existing

Road Over Bridge near Padi flyover in Inner
Ring Road at a cost of Rs.139.17 Cr in
Highways portion has been commenced.

3.1.6.1 Expenditure in the year 2023-24

Under CMDP Scheme

An expenditure of Rs.405.29 Cr has been

incurred in the year 2023-24.

3.2 UPGRADATION OF PANCHAYAT UNION

ROADS / PANCHAYAT ROADS TO OTHER
DISTRICT ROADS STANDARDS:

In line with the Budget announcement made

during 2021-22, 10,000 km of Panchayat
Union/Panchayat Roads are to be upgraded to
Other District Roads (ODRs) standards. The

65
Government has accorded top priority to this
scheme, as the upgradation of rural roads would
pave way for uplifting of rural economy. Rural
Development and Panchayat Raj Department has,
so far, handed over 4110 km of Panchayat Union
/ Panchayat Roads for upgradation. Of which,
2786.58 km length at a cost of Rs.3056.01 Cr has
been taken-up for upgradation and out of which,
1657 km length at a cost of Rs.1784.89 Cr has
been completed so far.

In addition, in the year 2021-22, 1078 nos.

of works to a length of 2486.04 km at a cost of
Rs.2120.74 Cr were taken over as spill over.
Of which, 1066 nos of works to a length of
2447.82 km at a cost of Rs.2072.06 Cr have been
completed.

In total, from 2021-22 to 2023-24,

4104.82 km length of 1823 Panchayat Union
Roads / Panchayat Roads have been upgraded as
ODR at a total cost of Rs.3856.95 Cr. During

66
2023-24, an expenditure of Rs.1823.59 Cr has
been incurred.

3.3 FORMATION OF BYPASSES/LINK ROADS

❖ BYPASSES

Traffic flow in busy towns/cities experiences

congestion, leading to increased journey time.
Apart from the time consumed, vehicle operating
costs which includes fuel costs is additional
burden on road users. To mitigate such
hardships, bypasses are alternate
routes/solutions. Bypasses have two critical
components, viz., a) Land-Acquisition and
b) formation of bypass.

In the year 2023-24, 3 bypasses i.e.

in Thuraiyur, Namakkal (Phase I, II & III) and
Tirupathur have been taken-up at a cost of
Rs.283 Cr. In addition, works on 18 spill-over
Bypasses were closely monitored. Out of which, 4
bypasses viz., Rasipuram (Phase-I Part-2),

67
Thiruthuraipoondi-I, Parthibanoor and Bhavani
(Phase-II) have been completed at a cost of
Rs.113.98 Cr and works on remaining
14 bypasses i.e. Ambasamudram, Bhavani (Phase
I), Coonor, Pollachi western bypass,
Tiruchengode, Tiruthani, Aruppukottai western
bypass, Coimbatore western ring road, Kamudhi,
Kelambakkam, Tiruporur, Muthukulathur,
Jalakandapuram and Sivagangai-I are in progress.
Further, preparatory works for 61 bypasses are at
various stages such as preparation of DPR and
land acquisition.

❖ LINK ROADS

The work on link road at Pasumalai near

Thiruparankundram at a cost of Rs.41.89 Cr is in
progress and land acquisition is in progress for
Rajapalayam link road. Widening and improving
the road connecting Erode - Perundurai -
Kangeyam road (SH96) to Ooty - Kothagiri -
Mettupalayam - Sathy - Gobi - Erode road

68
 (SH15) near Kaniravutharkulam via
Vilarasampatty, has been completed at a cost of
Rs.20.85 Cr.

3.4 CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH-LEVEL BRIDGES

Bridges across water bodies especially rivers

ensure unhindered flow of traffic providing
connectivity on either side of river banks. In all,
277 HLBs have been constructed and put into
public use, in the past three years.

❖ State Funded HLBs

In the year 2023-24, 13 HLBs have been

taken-up at a cost of Rs.399.82 Cr and the
works are in various stages of implementation. A
few of the newly sanctioned works are as follows;

1. Formation of High-level bridge of 3.2 km

length across Palar River from Kangeyanallur
to Sathuvachari at a cost of Rs.90.66 Cr.

69
 2. Reconstruction of High-level Bridge across
Palar River at km 0/4 -1/0 of Nerumbur-
Pudupattinam Road to Edayathur road (via)
Irumbulicherry at a cost of Rs.51.87 Cr.

3. Construction of High-Level Bridge across

Vellar river connecting Kallipadi – Kavanur
village at a cost of Rs.27.18 Cr.

In addition, works on 33 spill-over

works at a cost of Rs.443.73 Cr were closely
monitored. In the last three years, 31 nos. of HLB
have been completed at a cost of
Rs.359.78 Cr. Some of the completed works are
as follows;

1. Construction of High-Level Bridge at km 4/6

of Vallam - Kallaperambur Road (ODR)
across Mudalamuthuvari drain at a cost of
Rs.6.04 Cr.

70
 2. Construction of High Level Bridge in lieu of
existing old narrow bridge across lower
Bhavani canal at km 4/2 of Kurumandur -
Kadathur road at a cost of Rs.3.33 Cr.

3. Construction of High Level Bridge across

Cheyyar River at km 11/2 of Uthiramerur -
Kancheepuram road at a cost of
Rs.21.56 Cr.

❖ NABARD Loan Assistance

Under Rural Infrastructure Development

Fund (RIDF), NABARD, construction of High-level
Bridges in lieu of causeways / weak bridges /
narrow bridges have been taken up. The loan
assistance of NABARD is 80% and balance 20% is
met out from State Fund. In the year 2023-24,
4 HLB works have been taken-up at a cost of
Rs.52 Cr under NABARD loan assistance. In
addition, 153 HLB works at a cost of Rs.979.28 Cr

71
 were closely monitored. As a result, 99 HLB works
have been completed at a cost of Rs.399.13 Cr. In
the last three years, 246 nos. of HLB funded at a
cost of Rs.833.39 Cr have been brought to public
use.

3.5 CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD OVER BRIDGES /

ROAD UNDER BRIDGES / LIMITED USE
SUBWAY

Railway Works Programme (RWP)

ROB/RUBs are being constructed to ensure

the safety of the public as well as hassle-free
vehicular traffic at level crossings. The
construction of ROB/RUBs in lieu of existing level
crossings is undertaken on priority basis when
Train Vehicle Units (TVUs) exceed 1 lakh per day.
Four new ROB/RUBs works have been sanctioned
at a cost of Rs.143.22 Cr in the year 2023-24.
The works on 59 ROB/RUBs as spill-over works at
a cost of Rs.2607.35 Cr were closely monitored.

72
Out of which, 9 works have been completed at a
cost of Rs.426.06 Cr, and 34 works are in
progress at a cost of Rs.1638.99 Cr and
remaining 16 works are in pre-construction stage.
In the last three years, 22 nos. of ROB/ RUBs at a
cost of Rs.836.20 Cr have been completed and in
use.

State Funded

Some of the ROB/RUBs are not eligible for

cost-sharing under RWP due to low TVU i.e., less
than 1 lakh per day. However, owing to the
importance of the location or corridor, such places
require construction of ROB/RUBs. Such works
could be taken up under State funding only. ROB
at Chickanna College near Tiruppur is in progress
at a cost of Rs.42.76 Cr.

73
Central Road and Infrastructure Fund(CRIF)-
Setu Bandhan

During 2023-24, administrative approval

and financial sanction was accorded by the
Government for the work of construction of Road
Over Bridge at Needamangalam (LC 20 & LC 1) at
a cost of Rs.170 Cr and the work is in Progress.

3.6 GRADE SEPARATORS

Grade separators are warranted in urban

situations where the existing roads are to be
crossed over through an elevated structure, for
enabling easy movement of traffic across a busy
junction/location. It is a cost-sensitive, long-
term measure. Certain iconic grade separators
taken-up by the department are;

1. Ukkadam - Athupalam in Coimbatore

city have been completed at a cost of
Rs.140.49 Cr and the extension of the

74
 above bridge work is in progress at a
cost of Rs.265.44 Cr.

2. Flyover at Goripalayam Junction in

Madurai City from km 440/100-441/0
of Varanasi- Kanniyakumari Road
(SHU73) and km 0/0-0/6 of Madurai -
Alagarkoil - Melur Road (SH72A) for
Rs.190.04 Cr - in progress.

3. Grade separator at km 1/2 of

Madurai-Thondi road (Apollo Hospital
Junction) at a cost of Rs.150.28 Cr -
in progress.

4. Construction of grade separator at km

37/6-38/4 of Vandalur – Walajabad
road (Padappai) at a cost of
Rs.26.65 Cr - in progress.

75
3.7 CONSTRUCTION OF ELEVATED CORRIDOR

Elevated corridors ensure uninterrupted

smooth traffic flow in major cities. Some of the
elevated corridors taken up by the Government
are mentioned below;
1. Construction of elevated corridor
along Avinashi road in Coimbatore
City from Goldwins to Uppilipalayam
for 10.10 km at a cost of
Rs.1621.30 Cr - in progress.

2. Construction of elevated corridor from

Teynampet to Saidapet at a cost of
Rs.621 Cr - in progress.

3.8 MAINTENANCE WORKS

Maintenance is an important component for

enhancing the life cycle of roads and enriching
experience of road users. Maintenance activities
involve;

76
 • Renewal/Special repairs to
roads/bridges.

• Pot-hole free roads.

• Shoulders to the required specification.

• Jungle clearance and cleaning

vegetation in channels and culverts and
desilting of drains.

• Maintenance of Kilometer/Hectometer
stones, kerbs, center medians and
crash barriers.

• Prevention and removal of

encroachments.

• Planting of avenue trees and

maintenance.

In the last 3 years, maintenance and renewal

of 9304.66 km length of roads at the cost of
Rs.1777.26 Cr have been done. The works of

77
rehabilitation of bridge across Cauvery river at a
cost of Rs.6.51 Cr and ROB in Tindivanam town at
a cost of Rs.8.17 Cr have been taken up in the
year 2022-23 to enhance the riding comfort and
durability of the bridges and the works are in
progress. During 2023-24, Rehabilitation of ROB
at km 32/2 of Kumbakonam - Sirkazhi road at a
cost of Rs.6.95 Cr have been taken-up and the
work is in tender stage.

3.9 GOVERNMENT OF INDIA (GOI) FUNDED

SCHEMES

3.9.1 Annual Plan (For National Highways)

Every year upgradation / improvements are

carried out under ‘Annual Plan’, funded by
Government of India, Ministry of Road Transport
and Highways (MORT&H). During the year
2023-24, following works have been sanctioned;

i. Land Acquisition for 4-Laning / 2 lane with

paved shoulder of NH209 – Coimbatore –

78
 Sathyamangalam – TN/KNT Border Road
(NH181) at a cost of Rs. 639.18 Cr.

ii. 2 Upgradation works costing Rs.18.36 Cr,

viz., widening and strengthening of
NH381A and protective works in NH85.

Spill over works such as 49 road works

including construction of 4 bypasses
(Thiruvaiyaru, Bagalur, Madurai Achampathu-
Viratipathu, Gudiyatham) of 435.85 km at the
cost of Rs.2761.09 Cr and 28 Bridge works of
value Rs.951.89 Cr were closely monitored to
ensure early completion. Out of these, road works
for a length of 236.97 km and 7 bridge works
(Fly over-2 nos, HLB- 2 nos, Minor Bridge- 1 no,
Rehabilitation –2 nos) have been completed in FY
2023-24. Major projects completed during
2023-24 are as follows;

79
S. Amount
Name of work
No in Cr.

High Level Bridge across

Thenpennai River at km 59/8-
1 59/10 (Cuddalore Town) of 26.80

Villupuram – Puducherry –
Nagapattinam Road (NH45A)

Flyover at km 362/790-364/555
(Periyanaickenpalayam
2 Junction) of Coimbatore – 115.57

Mettupalayam – Ooty – TN/KNT

Border road (NH181)

Grade separator at Kochadai

3 junction at km 5/10 of Madurai 53.95

– Cochin road (NH49Extn.)

Additional Two lane bridge
4 across Bhavani river at km 11.74

229/2-4 of NH209

80
S. Amount
Name of work
No in Cr.
Widening 2 Lane to 4 Lane with
Paved Shoulders from
A.Pallipatti to Uthangarai 320.00
5
section of Salem – Tirupathur –
Vaniyambadi Road (NH179A)
for a length of 44 km
Widening to 4 Lane with Paved
Shoulders from Trichy to Mathur
6 of Trichy - Ramanathapuram 68.00

Section (NH336) for a length of

10 km
Widening to 2/4 Lane with
Paved Shoulders of Musiri – 184.15
7
Namakkal road (NH381B) for a
length of 26.89 km

81
 S. Amount
Name of work
No in Cr.
Rectification of Blackspots in 7
locations (Ramayanpatty,
Palamrajakkapatty,
Edaiyapatty, Muthanampatty,
8 PSNA College, Kathirayankulam 62.17

and Mangarai Pirivu) of Dindigul

– Ottanchatram –
Madathukulam – Pollachi
Section (NH83)

Land Acquisition for 4 laning of Thoothukudi

– Thiruchendur – Kanniyakumari Road and for
3 bypasses (Vellore, Vettavalam, Thiruvaiyaru)
costing Rs.559.87 Cr is in progress. Preparation of
Detailed Project Report for 9 works has also been
initiated to create a shelf of projects.

82
 3.9.2 SETU BHARATHAM SCHEME

To replace level crossings on NHs by

ROB/RUBs, under “SETU BHARATHAM” scheme,
sanction has been accorded for the construction of
6 ROBs amounting to Rs.412.11 Cr.

3.9.3 Centrally Sponsored Schemes

▪ Central Road and Infrastructure Fund

(CRIF) (For State Roads)

Roads for widening and strengthening and

bridges for rehabilitation / construction /
re-construction, under the control of the
Department, are taken up under CRIF scheme
with the funding by Government of India.
MoRT&H has approved the list of 23 Road works
covering a length of 102.935 km costing
Rs.342.41 Cr and 24 Bridge works costing
Rs.313.35 Cr, totalling to Rs.655.76 Cr in the year
2022-23. Out of which, 7 road works to a length
of 25.41 km costing Rs.131.58 Cr are in progress

83
and preparation of Detailed Project Report for
19 bridge works are in progress.

▪ Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

(PMGSY)

The Government of India provide funds for

upgrading the “Other District Roads” under this
scheme. Out of 4 works for a total length of
31.98 km sanctioned for Rs.34.16 Cr in the year
2021-22, 3 works have been completed and
1 work is in progress.

3.10 DEPOSIT WORKS

The Construction and Maintenace wing and

National Highways wing take up a few works as
deposit works, which are funded by other
agencies. Construction and Maintenance wing
normally takes up approach roads to industrial
hubs.

84
 Some of the works taken up as deposit works
by Construction and Maintenance wing are as
follows;

• Formation of Approach Road from

Kavarapettai - Sathyavedu Road (SH52) to
SIPCOT Industrial Park, Mannallur from
km 0/0 - 4/110 for Rs.54.41 Cr -
Work in progress.

• Formation of Panapakkam SIPCOT Approach

Road km 0/0 - 0/800 for Rs.26.50 Cr -
Work in progress.

• Widening from 2 - lane with paved shoulder

to 4 - lane and strengthening at
km 0/0-1/550 of connecting road between
SIPCOT and Pochampalli - Kodamandapatti
road for Rs.8.40 Cr -Tender stage

The following road improvement works have

been taken up as deposit works of National

85
Highways Authority of India (NHAI) by State NH
wing.

• Widening of NH45 from 4 Lane to 8 Lane

between Guduvanchery to Chettipunniyam
(Mahindra City) of 13.30 km for
Rs.230.69 Cr in 3 Packages- completed

• Widening of NH4 from 4 Lane to 6 Lane

between Maduravoyal bypass to
Sriperumpudur of 23.20 km for Rs.428.95 Cr
in 6 packages. Out of which, 5 packages are
completed and 1 package is nearing
completion.

• Widening of NH544H Thoppur – Mettur –

Bhavani – Erode Road to 2 Lane with paved
shoulders of 85 km for Rs.186.50 Cr in
4 packages. Out of which, 1 package is
completed and 3 packages are in progress.

86
3.11 e - INITIATIVES

As a part of computerization initiative,

required hardware and software have been
procured to strengthen the functioning of the
department. Presently, the department is using
advanced application software and in-house tools
for analysis, design and preparation of drawings
and estimates of all bridge structures, flexible and
rigid road pavements. The Highways Department
has also been using Road Maintenance and
Management System (RMMS) web application to
efficiently manage the entire road network of the
State.A robust Project Management Information
System (PMIS) for monitoring the progress of
works on a real time basis has been developed
and is being used by all the field officials. In the
august presence of Hon’ble Minister for Public
Works, Highways & Minor Ports, the Hon’ble
Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports
Development launched the Mobile app

87
‘Namma Saalai’ on 1.11.2023 as an interface with
public for capturing grievances of public and
effective redressal of grievances. The work on
digitisation of assets and assessing Passenger
Carrying Units (PCUs) with the help of AI tools is
going on.

The following websites are being maintained

by this Department.

✓ https://www.tnhighways.tn.gov.in

✓ https://www.tnrsp.tn.gov.in

✓ https://www.ckicp.tn.gov.in

❖ e-procurement:

The Highway department has been doing

online procurement since August,2019 through
electronic mode (e-Tenders) on the portal
www.tntenders.gov.in.

88
 4. EXTERNALLY AIDED
PROJECTS

4.1 TAMIL NADU ROAD SECTOR PROJECT - II

Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project –II an

Externally Aided project, is being executed at a
total cost of Rs.5171 Cr with World Bank loan
amount of Rs.2122.90 Cr (USD 300 Million) to
upgrade roads with high traffic intensity. The
Project involves a) upgradation and maintenance
of roads covering a length of 1187.04 km across
Tamil Nadu and b) Institutional Capacity
Enhancement of the department and sensitisation
on Road Safety.

4.1.1 Completed Works

Under the EPC mode of contract, 471.96 km

of roads across the State have been widened, in
which 427.96 km of roads have been widened to
two-lane with paved shoulders and 44 km to

89
4 lane. Taken-up for construction under Public
Private Partnership mode (PPP), with 8 years of
maintenance, 70.20 km of Four-laned
Oddanchatram – Dharapuram – Avinashipalayam
Road (SH37) is currently in 4th year of
maintenance.

4.1.2 Works in Progress

The following 3 works for a length of

63.384 km at a cost of Rs. 621.80 Cr are in
progress, under EPC mode;

• Strengthening and widening of

Malliyakarai – Attur road of SH30
(km 81/125 - 91/200)

• Strengthening and widening (4 Lane) of

Tirunelveli – Sengottai – Kollam Road
(SH39) km 27+700 to km 50+600
(package II)

90
 • Four Laning of Gobi - Erode Section of
SH15 from km 123+000 to km 153+600

4.1.3 Road Safety

Road Safety component has been taken-up

under TNRSP II Project at an estimated cost of
Rs.120 Cr. Under this,

• Road Safety improvement works including

Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for a
length of 95.60 km in Kancheepuram and
Tiruvannamalai Districts have been
taken-up.

• Specific support to the Stakeholders viz.,

Transport, Police, Health and Education
Department has been extended under Road
safety initiatives.

• Road Safety awareness campaigns in

36 schools of Kancheepuram and
Chengalpattu Districts as Pilot completed

91
 under Phase-I and the same will be
extended to 261 schools under Phase-II.

4.1.4 Preparation of Detailed Project

Reports (DPR):
With Tamil Nadu Infrastructure
Development Board (TNIDB) funding, preparation
of DPRs for widening and strengthening of
3319 km roads at the cost of Rs.132.76 Cr has
been taken up. Out of these roads, in the first
phase, 718.71 km length of roads has been
proposed under TNRSP – III with External Loan
Assistance.

4.1.5 Expenditure in the year 2023-24

During 2023-24, an expenditure of

Rs.533.99 Cr has been incurred.

92
4.2 CHENNAI KANNIYAKUMARI INDUSTRIAL
CORRIDOR PROJECT

16 State Highway corridors for a length of

589 km have been taken-up for upgradation with
the financial support of USD 484 million from the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) under Tamil Nadu
Industrial Connectivity Project. These works are
being executed on EPC mode of contract. The
roads taken up for upgradation are as indicated
below.

S. EPC Length
Project Corridor
No No. in km
EPC Cheyyur - Polur Road
1 109.27
-01 (SH115) including ECR link

EPC Kancheepuram-Arakkonam 41.78

2
-02 -Tiruthani Road (SH58-2)

93
S. EPC Length
Project Corridor
No No. in km
Chengalpattu -
Kancheepuram Road
EPC (SH58-1) including Military 39.79
3
-03 Road
(Of this, 26 km are of Four-
lane with paved shoulders)
Thiruchendur –
EPC 50.59
4 Palayamkottai Road
-04
(SH40-1)
EPC Melur – Tirupattur Road 30.49
5
-05 (SH191)
EPC Thanjavur – Mannargudi 29.44
6
-06 Road (SH63)
EPC Kumbakonam – Mannargudi 14.90
7
-07 Road (SH66)
EPC Kumbakonam – Sirkazhi 36.78
8
-08 Road (SH64)
EPC Mayiladuthurai – Thiruvarur 29.88
9
-09 Road (SH23)

94
S. EPC Length
Project Corridor
No No. in km
EPC Thuraiyur – Perambalur 30.06
10
-10 Road (SH142)
EPC Virudhachalam – 22.86
11
-11 Ulundurpettai Road (SH69)
EPC Cuddalore - Madapattu 37.36
12
-12 Road (SH9)
Mohanur – Namakkal –
EPC 31.50
13 Senthamangalam -
-13
Rasipuram Road (SH95)
Tiruchengode - Erode Road
EPC (SH79) 11.15
14
-14 (Of this, 7 Km are Four-lane
with paved shoulders)
Omalur to Tiruchengode via
Sankakiri Road including
EPC Tiruchengode Bypass 51.72
15
-15 (SH86)
(Of this, 39.43 km are Four-
lane with paved shoulder)

95
 S. EPC Length
Project Corridor
No No. in km
Palayamkottai -
EPC
16 Ambasamudram Road 21.40
-16
(SH40-2)
Total 588.97

Amongst these, 72.43 km of roads are

being upgraded from two-lane to four-lane with
paved shoulders and the remaining 516.57 km of
roads are being upgraded from two-lane to two-
lane with paved shoulders.

4.2.1 Project Cost

The total cost of the project, including land

acquisition is Rs.7847.49 Cr. Of the construction
cost, 80% is funded through loans from the ADB
and remaining 20% is funded by the State
Government.

96
4.2.2 Project Features

The project includes construction of

22 bypasses, 13 major bridges, 9 ROBs, 1 RUB,
2 Grade Separators, 1 Pedestrian underpass,
1 LUS, 2 VUPs, 120 Minor Bridges, and
1285 Culverts. To enhance road safety, adequate
signages, gantry boards, streetlights and other
road furniture are being installed. As a part of
surveillance mechanism, incidence monitoring
cameras are also being installed at accident-prone
spots and major junctions. Drinking water, toilet
facilities are provided at Bus-shelters to facilitate
Road-Users.

4.2.3 Land Acquisition

Land acquisition is an inevitable part of such

a major road infrastructure project. The project
warrants acquisition to the tune of 445 hectares
in 349 villages, out of which, 437 hectares of
private lands have already been acquired.

97
Remaining extent is in award enquiry / final
award stages. The indigenous families, 41 in
number, displaced in Melpakkam Village near
Arakkonam, due to the project alignment, are
being resettled following the ADB’s Social
Safeguards Policy. Residential buildings,
Anganvadi, Community Hall, Temple, Over-Head
Water Tank with water supply facility, pump room
and cement concrete pavement are being
constructed under this aegis.

4.2.4 Progress of Works

Out of total 16 road development works,

5 roads (EPC-05, EPC-06, EPC-10, EPC-11 and
EPC-13) with a project value of Rs.1,112.61 Cr
have been completed and work is in progress on
the remaining 11 roads which are planned for
completion by 2024-25.

98
4.2.5 Expenditure in the Year 2023-24

During 2023-24, an expenditure of

Rs.1766.50 Cr has been incurred.

4.3 CHENNAI PERIPHERAL RING ROAD (CPRR)

To ensure quick movement of commercial

goods and commodities from southern parts of
the State to Ennore, Kattupalli Ports at northern
corner of the State and to neighbouring States
completely bypassing the city’s traffic congestion,
CPRR project is being implemented. The reduction
in journey time accrues direct and indirect
benefits. The corridor is access-controlled six-lane
dual carriageway with two-laned service roads on
either sides. The entire 132.87 km long corridor is
being developed at the total cost of Rs.15,626 Cr.
CPRR comprises 5 sections and is being executed
with the external loan assistance of the Multi-
lateral and Bilateral funding agencies.

99
4.3.1 Section I of CPRR

Starting from Ennore port to Thatchur with a

link road to Chennai Outer Ring Road, the
Section-I of CPRR, for a length of 25.40 km, is
being executed at the cost of Rs.3339 Cr through
TNRDC, as a managing associate. The project is
financially assisted by Japanese International Co-
operation Agency (JICA), with an assistance of
40,074 Million Japanese Yen (Rs.2473.70 Cr).
The project is scheduled to be completed by
2025.

4.3.2 Section II & III of CPRR

Starting from Thatchur, Section II and III of

CPRR, traverses through Tiruvallur bypass, ends
at Sriperumbudur, for a total length of 56.20 km.
Section-II and Section-III are being formed for a
length of 26.10 km and 30.10 km, respectively.
These portions are being constructed at a cost of
Rs.4899 Cr through TNRIDC as a managing

100
associate. The Financial assistance for Section II
& III is being provided by Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) for USD 378 Million and
OPEC Fund for International Development for USD
100 Milllion. For Civil Works in Section III under 3
EPC Packages, viz., EPC-03, EPC-04 & EPC-05,
tender evaluation is in progress. The construction
works in section II are being carried-out through
the following EPC Packages;

• EPC-01: The civil works are scheduled to be

completed by 2025, at a contract value of
Rs.820.59 Cr.

• EPC-02: The civil works are scheduled to be

completed by 2025, at a contract value of
Rs.719.10 Cr.

4.3.3 Section IV of CPRR

The Section-IV of CPRR starts from

Sriperumbudur and ends at Singaperumal Koil,
with a length of 23.80 km. The works have

101
already been completed with State funds. The
preparation of DPR is underway for making this
stretch access-controlled, through Tamil Nadu
Road Infrastructure Development Corporation
(TNRIDC).

4.3.4 Section V of CPRR

The Section V of CPRR starts from

Singaperumal Koil and ends at Poonjeri Junction,
near Mamallapuram (NH332A), for a length of
27.47 km. The Land Acquisition at the cost of
Rs.747.92 Cr for an extent of 126.84 hectares, is
at an advanced stages. The fund assistance is
sought through JICA loan assistance for
49,847 Million Japanese Yen (Rs.2784 Cr).

4.3.5 Expenditure in the Year 2023-24

During 2023-24, an expenditure of

Rs.663.18 Cr has been incurred.

102
 5. ROAD SAFETY m NGOs

Increasing vehicular population, quality

roads, over-speeding and non-observance of rules
and regulations mostly contribute to road crashes.
Road traffic crashes are of great concern, as they
result in loss of lives, limbs and property.

As per World Health Organization (WHO)

report (2022), road traffic crashes result in the
death of approximately 11.90 lakh people around
the world every year. About 1,68,000 number of
fatalities in India and 17,884 in the State were
reported during 2022. (Source: ‘Road Accidents in
India 2022’, MoRT&H (Transport Research Wing), New

Delhi). The victim age group is predominantly

between 18 and 45, the most productive one,
affecting the Country’s GDP.

Crash data analysis indicates that over-

speeding results in 71.20% fatalities (Source:
‘Road Accidents in India 2022’). The remaining

103
28.80% of fatalities occur due to a variety of
reasons such as violation of rules, distracted
driving, lack of awareness, geometric deficiencies
of the road etc., pointing to the fact that Road
Safety is a multi-sectoral issue.

5.1 INITIATIVES OF GOVERNMENT

Given the severity of the issue on hand, the

State Government has adopted multi-pronged
strategy to improve road safety. With a focus to
reduce loss of lives in road crashes, the Hon’ble
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu announced Seerana
Salaigal ie., Fatality Accident Incident Reduction
(FAIR), under “Innuyir Kappom Thittam”(IKT)
during the Road Safety meeting held on
18.11.2021.

5.1.1 Special Task Force- Road safety

To implement FAIR, a Special Task Force on

Road Safety (STF-RS) was constituted on
15.3.2022 under the Chairmanship of the

104
Additional Director General of Police, State Crime
Records Bureau, in which, the Chief Engineer (H),
Construction and Maintenance is one of the
members. The STF is mandated to identify short-
term and long-term solutions for reducing
fatalities and injuries in road accidents. The
implementation of the recommendations is also
being monitored by STF. An allotment of
Rs.90.37 Cr has been made in the year 2023-24
for short-term measures and works are in
progress.

5.1.2 ‘Guide for Road Safety Awareness’

The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

released a ‘Guide for Road Safety Awareness’ on
22.8.2022 as a part of creating awareness on
Road Safety.

105
5.1.3 District-Level Road Safety Review
Meeting:
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has
advised to conduct district-wise review meeting to
emphasize road safety and create awareness. The
Hon’ble Minister for Public Works, Highways and
Minor Ports has been conducting Road Safety
District level review meetings to sensitize all
stakeholders. So far, meetings have been
conducted in 22 districts viz., Namakkal,
Chengalpattu, The Nilgiris, Theni, Madurai,
Thoothukudi, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram,
Erode, Coimbatore, Virudhunagar, Karur,
Tiruppur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Tenkasi,
Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Cuddalore, Dindigul,
Trichy and Mayiladuthurai. In these meetings,
stakeholders including representatives of vehicle-
owner associations and NGOs have actively
participated.

106
5.2 BLACK SPOT RECTIFICATION

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways,

Government of India had identified 1208 black-
spot locations in Tamil Nadu based on the data
collected during the years 2015-18.
Subsequently, 131 blackspot locations on NHAI
and NH roads were also identified. The long-term
rectification measures have been completed for
781 black spots and works on remaining black-
spots are in various stages of implementation.

5.3 ROAD SAFETY WORKS

As short term road safety measures, junction

improvement, provision of speed breakers,
signboards, and protective works are being taken
up to reduce accidents, under the guidance
provided by the Road Safety Wing of the
department. Long-term measures such as
construction of grade separators, VUP, widening

107
of road, straightening of curves etc., are also
being undertaken under the regular schemes.

5.3.1 Road Safety Works under CRIDP

In the financial year 2021-22, 401 works

were taken-up in CRIDP under Road safety at a
cost of Rs.200 Cr. 398 works at a cost of
Rs.171.63 Cr have been completed. In the
financial year 2022-23, 532 works were taken-up
in CRIDP under Road safety at a cost of
Rs.191.37 Cr and 519 works at a cost of
Rs.145.86 Cr have been completed. In the
financial year 2023-24, 165 works have been
taken-up in CRIDP under Road Safety works for
Rs.134.65 Cr out of which 89 works have been
completed at a cost of Rs.5.61 Cr.

During Budget session 2023-24, the Hon’ble

Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor
Ports has announced that immediate rectification
measures required on State Highways will be

108
taken up at a cost of Rs.150 Cr based on a ‘Road
Safety Audit’ (RSA) conducted using the services
of trained Road Safety Engineers. Accordingly,
sanction has been accorded for 555 road safety
works at a cost of Rs.149.88 Cr and all these
works will be completed shortly.

5.3.2 Junction Improvement works

Junctions are vulnerable locations that cause

accidents. 72 numbers of accident-prone junctions
have been identified and taken-up at a cost of
Rs.110.26 Cr during 2023-24. The works are in
progress.

5.4 ROAD SAFETY TRAINING

Training and capacity building on road safety

is vital in achieving the targeted reduction in road
crashes. The Training programme on ‘Road Safety
Engineering’ was inaugurated at Training Centre,
HRS, by the Hon’ble Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports Department on

109
15.12.2021. So far, 554 Engineers in 15 batches
have been trained. Key elements in Road Safety
Engineering with practical sessions at site were
explained to the trainees.

5.4.1 Road Safety Awareness Programmes:

The Engineers of Road Safety Wing and the

Construction and Maintenance Wing regularly
conduct awareness programmes at schools,
colleges and public places on road safety. Officials
from the Traffic Police, Transport Department and
Public representatives also join in creating
awareness. So far, 236 such awareness programs
have been conducted.

110
 6. RESEARCH, TESTING, QUALITY
CONTROL AND TRAINING

6.1 RESEARCH

Enhancing pavement longevity and

innovating cost-effective technologies are the
prime focus of the research works undertaken at
Highways Research Station (HRS). The on-going
research works by HRS are;

• To study the effectiveness of curing

compounds on concrete pavement-under
Tamil Nadu Innovative Initiatives (TANII),
State Planning Commission funding.

• Study the performance of Glass fibre in hot

bituminous mixes.

• Comparative study on the properties of clay

soil stabilized with Sodium Hydroxide and
Nano-stabilizer.

111
 The use of glass fibres on hot bituminous
mixes and use of Nano stabilisers on clay have
been found to be effective in improving the
strength. Steps are being taken to implement the
results of the research in field.

6.2 TESTING

Tests for assessing suitability and quality of

construction materials ie., bitumen, soil and
concrete mixes are conducted in laboratories in
Chennai and eight regional laboratories at
Villupuram, Trichy, Thanjavur, Madurai,
Tirunelveli, Salem, Tirupur and Coimbatore.
The tests include soil, steel, concrete mix design,
pile load, bituminous job-mix formula etc.,.
Vehicle Axle Load Survey and Roughness Index
tests are conducted only by Traffic Laboratory,
HRS, Chennai. During the financial year 2023-24,
24,108 tests have been conducted at laboratories,
earning a total revenue of Rs.20.36 Cr.

112
6.3 TECHNICAL GUIDANCE

i) Rehabilitation measures were suggested for

the Maanavamani Thiyagi Sarangapani
(Mayuram) ROB at km 32/2 of
Kumbakonam – Sirkali Road (SH64) in
July, 2023.

ii) Soil parameters and surface conditions of

the pavement were studied by conducting
BBD test and Roughness index test for the
work of “Chennai Outer Ring Road from
Vandalur – Minjur Phase-I & Phase-II”.

6.4 QUALITY CONTROL

The quality at all stages of execution of roads

and bridges is ensured by conducting relevant
tests at every stage. Accordingly, quality control
laboratories have been established at Divisional
levels. 9 Quality Control Divisions with 43 Sub-
Divisions are functioning to ensure the quality of
works at all stages.

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6.5 TRAINING

6.5.1 Training Centre

Training is vital ingredient for a growing

organization. An exclusive Training Centre at
Highways Research Station premises is imparting
residential training to the Engineers and staff. For
the year 2023-24, under Comprehensive Training
Programme (CTP), 1150 Engineers and 646 staff
have been trained. This apart, 15 Deputy
Collectors (Trainees) and 24 Section Officers of
Secretariat have also been trained by the Centre.

Highways Research Station, during 2023-24,

imparted training to 368 Engineers of Greater
Chennai Corporation (GCC) and 40 Engineers of
District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
101 students from various Engineering colleges
and Polytechnics have undergone in-plant training
at the laboratories of HRS.

114
6.5.2 Technical Lectures

Technical Lectures are being organised in

Highways Research Station for better exposure to
innovative ideas and advancements in the field of
Highways Engineering. Some of the lectures
organised are;

• Safer Roads and Safer mobility.

• Vehicle mounted falling weight

deflectometer.

• Advantages and use of crumb rubber from

waste tyres in construction of durable and
long-lasting Roads.

• Green products and innovative solutions in

flexible and rigid pavement.

• Use of polymer fibre in flexible pavements.

• Micro Silica in rigid pavements.

115
 • AI enabled structural health monitoring
systems for sustainable infrastructure.

6.6 INDIAN ROADS CONGRESS

Director, Highways Research Station is a

Council Member of Indian Roads Congress and a
member of Accreditation of New Materials &
Techniques Committee and Human Resource
Development Committee (G-2). So far, technical
remarks have been offered in 11 Accreditation
Committee meetings and six G-2 Committee
meetings. Normally the outcomes of the In-house
research works are presented during every Annual
sessions. The Government of Tamil Nadu
nominated a delegation of 10 Engineers of all
cadres led by the Director, HRS to participate in
the 82nd Annual Session of IRC held at
Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat during
December 2023. Such nominations to IRC
sessions are beneficial, as the best practises from

116
all over the Country are discussed during the
sessions for replication.

117
7. TAMIL NADU ROAD DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY LTD

Started in the year 1998, Tamil Nadu Road

Development Company (TNRDC) is a joint venture
between Tamil Nadu Industrial Development
Corporation (TIDCO) and TIDEL Park Ltd., with
50:50 shareholding and registered under the
Companies Act. Basically, functioning as a
concessionaire, TNRDC is also engaged as a
Managing Associate for projects and toll services.

7.1 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPRESSWAY

LTD. (ITEL)

A subsidiary of TNRDC, ITEL maintains

Rajiv Gandhi Salai (I.T. Expressway) from Madhya
Kailash to Siruseri. This road, running through the
I.T. Hub of Chennai City, is a divided six lane
carriageway with service road on both sides. To
enable pedestrian to cross the carriageway, FOBs
at 15 locations have been provided.

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7.2 PROJECTS EXECUTED

i. The stretch from Akkarai to Mamallapuram

of ECR is under the maintenance of TNRDC.

ii. TNRDC is ‘Management Associate’ for

Chennai Outer Ring Road (CORR), a Green-
field project, which starts from Vandalur on
NH32 and ends at Thiruvottiyur –Ponneri-
Panchetti Road, Minjur. This Project was
executed in two phases on Design Build
Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) Annuity
basis under PPP mode.

a. Phase-I: from Vandalur on NH32

to Nemilicheri on NH716, a length
of 29.65 km for Rs.1081.40 Cr.
b. Phase-II: from Nemilicheri on
NH716 to Thiruvottiyur –Ponneri-
Panchetti Road at Minjur, a length
of 30.50 km for Rs.1075 Cr.

119
 From 19.1.2022 onwards, road user fees
are being collected at 4 Toll Plazas on CORR.

7.3 MAJOR PROJECTS TAKEN UP

7.3.1 State Funded Projects

i. Construction of ‘U’ Shaped Flyovers at

Indira Nagar Junction and Tidel Park
Junction on Rajiv Gandhi Salai

As a part of traffic de-congestion drive and

to enable smooth flow of traffic along IT corridor,
two ‘U’ shaped Flyovers, one at Indira Nagar
Junction and other at TIDEL Park Junction, at a
cost of Rs.108.13 Cr were taken up for execution
by TNRDC as Managing Associate. Of the above,
the Indira Nagar Flyover has been opened for
public use by the Hon’ble Chief Minister on
23.11.2023. The flyover at TIDEL Park junction is
at advanced stages of completion.

120
ii. Bypasses to Kelambakkam and Tiruporur

Bypasses with six-lane configuration at

Tiruporur (7.45 km long) and Kelambakkam
(4.68 km long) taken up at the cost of
Rs.314.73 Cr are nearing completion

iii. Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR)

As a managing associate, TNRDC is executing

CPRR Section- I (Ennore port to Thatchur) and
Section-V (Singaperumal koil to Poonjeri). While
the construction works are in progress at
Section-I, land acquisition is at an advanced stage
for Section-V.

7.4 EXPENDITURE IN THE YEAR 2023-24

During 2023-24, an expenditure of

Rs.743.96 Cr has been incurred.

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 8. TAMIL NADU ROAD
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION

Formed in the year 2005, Tamil Nadu Road

Infrastructure Development Corporation
(TNRIDC), a non-profitable company, solely
owned by the Government of Tamil Nadu, is
involved in executing road infrastructure projects.

8.1 PROJECTS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY

TNRIDC

i. Improvements from Four laning to Six

laning of Vandalur – Walajabad Road from
km 47/0 – 63/8 at the cost of Rs.180.09 Cr
- nearing completion.

ii. Construction of grade separator at Km

37/6 – 38/4 of Vandalur – Walajabad road
at Rs.26.65 Cr – nearing completion.

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iii. Madurai Ring Road: 4 - laning of Madurai
Ring Road has been completed and the
road has been put to public use. Due to
expansion of Madurai Airport, it is proposed
to form a diversion road to Madurai Ring
Road, for a length of 8.00 km. Land
acquisition, sanctioned for Rs.40.50 Cr, is
in progress.

iv. Chennai Peripheral Ring Road:

TNRIDC is the Managing Associate for

Sections II, III & IV of Chennai Peripheral
Ring Road Project.

Section II: From Thatchur on NH16 to

starting point of Tiruvallur
Bypass, for a length
26.10 km- Work is in progress.

123
Section III: From starting point of
Tiruvallur Bypass to
Sriperumbudur (NH48), for a
length 30.10 km - Technical
tender evaluation is in
progress.
Section IV: From Sriperumbudur (NH48)
to Singaperumal koil (NH32),
six-laned carriageway for a
length 23.80 km - DPR is in
progress for proposing access-
controlled stretch.

v. Construction of ROB in lieu of LC - 47

in between Guduvancherry and
Singaperumal koil Railway Stations.

This ROB will act as connectivity between

Section IV & Section V of CPRR and the work is in
progress.

124
 9. TAMIL NADU MARITIME BOARD

Tamil Nadu Maritime Board (TNMB) was

established under the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board
Act, 1995 (Act 4 of 1996) on 18.3.1997 for the
purpose of administration, management and
control of State ports. The main objectives and
functions of TNMB are detailed below

• To encourage competition and

transparency in ports development.

• To encourage participation by private

sector.

• To enable commercial viability of port

projects.

• To offer easy access for the maritime

sector development in Tamil Nadu,
streamline clearances and encourage
ease of doing business.

125
 • To facilitate integrated development of
port facilities for port-based industries
promotion.

9.1 COASTLINE AND PORTS

Tamil Nadu has the second longest coastline

of 1076 km with Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea
on the east and western sides, respectively. The
coastline also boasts of 3 Major Ports operated by
Government of India namely;

1) Chennai Port
2) Kamarajar Port (Ennore)
3) V.O.Chidambaranar Port
(Thoothukudi)

9.2 STATE PORTS IN TAMIL NADU

The following are the declared / notified State

ports (Minor Ports) under the control of the
Government of Tamil Nadu:-

126
Government Ports Captive ports
1. Cuddalore 1. Kattupalli
2. Nagapattinam 2. Ennore Minor port
3. Pamban 3. Panaiyur
4. Rameswaram 4. Thiruchopuram
5. Kanniyakumari 5. Silambimangalam
6. Colachel 6. Parangipettai
7. PY-03 Oil Field
8. Thirukkadaiyur
9. Thirukkuvalai
10. Udangudi
11. Koodankulam

9.3 TAMIL NADU STATE PORTS DEVELOPMENT

POLICY, 2023

Minor Ports along the coast of Tamil Nadu

were developed as per the Minor Ports
Development Policy of the Government of Tamil
Nadu, which was issued in the year 2007. In the
last 2 decades, various innovative methods of
port development have evolved in other coastal

127
states. In order to attract Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) in port development and
execution of projects in the State, there was an
imminent need for amendment to the Port Policy.
On 15.11.2023, the updated State Ports
Development Policy by incorporating the best
practices was notified by the Government as
“Tamil Nadu State Ports Development Policy,
2023”. The New Policy incorporates flexible
approach to PPP Projects, easier access for port
development and recognizes the potential of
adventurous water sports, coastal shipping, skill
development and sustainable port development.

128
9.4 ACTIVITIES OF OPERATIONAL MINOR
PORTS

9.4.1 Government Ports

S. Port Activity
No

1. Cuddalore Port Developed as an open sea

anchorage port with TNMB and
GoI’s Sagarmala Scheme
funding.
2. Nagapattinam i) An open sea anchorage port to
Port handle the edible oil import.

ii) International Passenger Ferry

Service from Nagapattinam,
India, to Kankesanthurai, Sri
Lanka, has been commenced on
14.10.2023, operated by the
Shipping Corporation of India
Ltd.
3. Pamban Port East-West sea-borne
connectivity for smaller vessels /
crafts provided with pilotage
services in Pamban channel.

129
S. Port Activity
No

4. Rameswaram
i) A short trip domestic
Port
passenger ferry is operated near
Agnitheertham area.

ii)DPR for creation of Port and

Passenger Terminal
infrastructures at Rameswaram
for passenger ferry service
between Rameswaram (India)
and Thalaimannar (Srilanka), is
being prepared by IIT-M.

5. Kanniyakumari Ferry services to Vivekananda

Port Rock Memorial and Ayyan
Thiruvalluvar Statue, operated
by PSC is provided at this
Passenger ferry port.

130
9.4.2 Captive Ports / Terminals

Sl.
Port Activity
No

1. Kattupalli Port Ship building, repairs and

modular fabrication works
carried-out by Larsen & Toubro
Limited.

Export / Import of cargoes

handled by Marine
Infrastructure Developer
Private Limited.
2. Ennore Minor
Imports Liquid Ammonia
Port
through Multiple Buoy Mooring
system.
3. Chemplast
Import of Vinyl Chloride
Marine
Monomer through an Island
Terminal within
Jetty facility.
Cuddalore Port
limit

131
Sl.
Port Activity
No

4. Thirukkadaiyur
Import of Naphtha through
Port
Single Point Mooring for 330
MW Power Plant of TANGEDCO.

5. Kudankulam
Import of machinery/ over
Port
dimensional cargo through Roll
on – Roll off Jetty for
Kudankulam Nuclear Power
Project Units 3, 4, 5 & 6.

The other declared State ports are under

various stages of obtaining statutory clearances
and development.

132
9.5 DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES OF THE
BOARD

9.5.1 Development of Cuddalore port

Cuddalore Port is provided with infrastructure

such as extended breakwaters, ship berths,
dredged channel etc. Tenders for identifying the
operator have been floated for operating and
developing brownfield and greenfield facilities.

9.5.2 Kanniyakumari Port:

M/s.Poompuhar Shipping Corporation Limited

(PSC) is operating ferry service between shore
and Vivekananda Rock Memorial / Ayyan
Thiruvalluvar Statue. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board
is supervising the ferry service.

(i) Extension of Jetty at Vivekananda Rock

Memorial at Kanniyakumari:
With a view to increase capacity to handle
tourists, the extension of Jetty at Vivekananda

133
Rock Memorial by 100 metres for berthing 3
ferries simultaneously is being executed by the
Public Works Department (PWD), with funding by
the Government of India of Rs.10 Cr and the work
is at an advanced stage of completion.

(ii) Pedestrian Marine Bridge connecting

Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Ayyan
Thiruvalluvar Statue Rock:

An iconic modern pedestrian marine bridge

connecting Vivekananda Rock Memorial and
Ayyan Thiruvalluvar Statue at a cost of
Rs.37 Cr has been taken up by the Highways
Department under Sagarmala Scheme with 50%
financial assistance from Government of India.
The work is at an advanced stage of completion.

9.5.3 Udangudi Port:

An open sea trestle jetty (length – 8 km) is

being constructed by Tamil Nadu Generation and
Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to receive

134
coal for their 1320 MW Udangudi Super Critical
Thermal Power Project. The work is expected to
be completed by December 2024.

9.5.4 Floating Jetties at Various Locations:

TNMB is in the process of constructing

floating jetties at Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari &
Cuddalore Ports. Based on the DPR by Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT-M), Chennai and with
100% financial assistance from GoI under the
Sagarmala Scheme, the works have been
taken-up.

9.6 TAMIL NADU MARITIME ACADEMY

Maritime Academy at Thoothukudi is

conducting a 6 month pre-sea general purpose
rating residential course. So far, 41 batches,
consisting of a total of 1600 students, have been
benefitted. The Directorate General of Shipping
accredited courses as mentioned below are also

135
conducted,which have higher potential of
employment in Indian and Foreign flag vessels.

(i) Personal Survival Techniques.

(ii) Elementary First Aid.
(iii) Personal Safety and Social
Responsibility.
(iv) Oil and Chemical Tanker Cargo
Operations.
(v) Fire Prevention and Fire
Fighting.
(vi) Security Training for Seafarers.

9.7 CARGO HANDLED AND REVENUE OF THE

BOARD FOR 2023-2024

1,01,22,679 MT of cargo was handled

through the State Ports and Tamil Nadu Maritime
Board earned a gross revenue of about
Rs.62.25 Cr (approximately).

136
 10. POOMPUHAR SHIPPING
CORPORATION LIMITED

10.1 INTRODUCTION

Poompuhar Shipping Corporation (PSC) was

formed on 11.4.1974 under the Companies Act,
1956 to transport the entire coal required by
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution
Corporation Ltd., (TANGEDCO) erstwhile Tamil
Nadu Electricity Board. Besides, PSC is also
operating ferry services at Kanniyakumari for
tourists.

10.2 ADMINISTRATION.

The corporation is headed by the Chairman

and Managing Director. The affairs of the
corporation are managed by the Board of
Directors primarily consisting of officers
nominated by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The day-to-day activities are executed by various

137
wings such as technical, operation, finance and
personnel administration headed by qualified
persons in the respective fields.

10.3 CORE ACTIVITIES

The core activities of the PSC are

transportation of thermal coal along the East
Coast of India and transportation of passengers
from the boat jetty at Kanniyakumari to
Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Ayyan
Thiruvalluvar Statue. The PSC has also started
operating ferry service to Vattakottai.

10.3.1 TRANSPORTATION OF COAL FOR

NTECL
Domestic coal from the load ports of Paradip
/ Kakinada / Dhamra Ports is transported to
Kamarajar Port, Ennore for M/s. NTPC Tamil Nadu
Energy Company Ltd., (NTECL), a joint venture
company of TANGEDCO and NTPC, for their
3 x 500 MW thermal power stations at Vallur,
North Chennai. The transportation of coal for

138
NTECL is undertaken with service charge of 5%
on charter hire charges of the vessels chartered
for their operations.

10.3.2 FERRY SERVICE AT KANNIYAKUMARI

The corporation is operating passenger ferry

service from the shore of Kanniyakumari to the
Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Ayyan
Thiruvalluvar statue. For transporting the
passengers, three ferries namely ML Guhan,
ML Pothigai and ML Vivekananda with a seating
capacity of 150 passengers each are being used.
Two new ferries ML Thamirabarani &
ML Thiruvalluvar are also operating to Vattakottai.

10.4 PERFORMANCE

10.4.1 COAL TRANSPORTATION

The physical and overall financial

performance of the corporation during the last
three financial years are given below;

139
 Physical and Overall Financial Performances

Quantity
Quanti
of Coal
ty of Turn Divide
received Profit
Coal over nd
Year at Load
moved
Ports

(in Lakh MT) (Rs. in Lakh )

2021-
62.86 58.74 29226.38 68.47 20.54
2022

2022- (-)
79.36 75.39 42121.52 _
2023 2867.33

2023-
65.72 61.79 35000.00 200.00 _
2024*

* Estimated

10.4.2 PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION

The ferry service has earned a profit of Rs. 333.47

lakh during 2022-2023. The physical and financial
performance of Kanniyakumari ferry service
during the last three financial years are given
below;

140
 Physical and Financial Performance of
Kanniyakumari Ferry Service

No. of Fare Profit

Tourists Collection (Rs. In
Year
(In (Rs. In Lakh)
Lakh) Lakh)

(-
2021-2022 5.47 265.64
)144.80

2022-2023 21.36 1591.18 333.47

2023-2024* 21.31 2365.94 940.54

* Estimated

10.5 PLAN FOR 2024-25

The Corporation proposes to transport

approximately 65.00 Lakh Metric Tonne of coal
through charted vessels for NTECL during the year
2024–25.

141
 11. INITIATIVES

The Government accords high priority for

the creation of road infrastructure to sustain the
pace of growth in the State. The Government has
also been extending full co-operation and support
towards implementation of any major project by
the Government of India. The department has
taken several special initiatives in the recent past
for efficient functioning and timely completion of
the projects.

11.1 MAJOR PROJECTS IN PIPELINE

i. Elevated corridor from Chennai Port to

Maduravoyal

The work commenced on 23.11.2023 for all

4 Packages by National Highways Authority
of India (NHAI). All possible assistance for

142
 early completion of project is being
rendered by the State.

ii. Upgradation of the East Coast Road

from Chennai to Kanniyakumari as
4 lane (NHAI & State NH wing).
1. From Mamallapuram to Marakkanam
and Puducherry to Nagapattinam -
4 laning works are in progress (NHAI)

2. From Marakkanam to Puducherry -

4 laning work to be started (NHAI)

3. Nagapattinam to Thoothukudi - DPR

work is in progress (NHAI)

4. Thoothukudi - Kanniyakumari - DPR

work is in progress and MoRTH has
accorded approval for Land Acquisition
amounting to Rs.392.33 Cr (State NH
wing)

143
iii. Upgradation of road from Chengalpattu
to Tindivanam from 4 lane to 6 lane
(NHAI).

The preparation of Detailed Project Report

(DPR) for widening from
4 to 6 lane from Chengalpattu to
Tindivanam is in progress.

iv. 4-laning of Coimbatore –

Sathyamangalam and 2 laning with /
without paved shoulder from
Sathyamanglam to TN/Karnataka
Border Section of Old NH209
(State NH wing).

The Ministry of Road Transport and

Highways (MoRT&H) has accorded approval
for land acquisition for Rs.639.18 Cr and
preliminary work for land acquisition will
commence soon.

144
 v. 4-laning of Ramanathapuram -
Rameswaram - Dhanushkodi section
of NH49 (State NH wing).
The preparation of DPR for this stretch
including construction of Pamban Bridge is
in progress.

11.2 INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES IN FIELD

The Nilgiris witnesses frequent landslides,

disrupting traffic flow and causing damages to
road infrastructure. Landslide incidences and
trends were closely analysed. Suitable methods to
mitigate severity of landslides due to road
expansion activities through increased stability of
the soil during construction by deploying
innovative techniques such as soil-nailing, hydro-
seeding, geo-grids and gabions etc., are being
studied.

An Expert committee has been constituted

with the Principal Scientist and Head, ICAR, as the

145
lead and the Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering
Department, NIT, Trichy, District Revenue Officer
(DRO), The Nilgiris, the Deputy Director (Soils),
HRS, District Forest Officer, The Nilgiris, the
Divisional Engineer, Highways C&M,
Udagamandhalam, Divisional Engineer NH, Gobi,
the Executive Engineer, Agri Engineering,
The Nilgiris and Assistant Director, Geology and
Mines Department, The Nilgiris as members. This
committee has been constituted in consonance
with the section 28 of the Disaster Management
Act, 2005. In ghat sections, soil-nailing technique,
slope stabilization techniques have been adopted
in 6 Districts at a cost of Rs.420 Lakh under
CRIDP.

146
11.3 SPECIAL INITIATIVES

• Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar Centenary

Celebration

The followings events have been planned

by the Department as part of Muthamizh Arignar
Kalaignar Centenary Celebration:

❖ 100 Road Safety Awareness Camps.

❖ Inauguration of 100 new bridges.

❖ Renovation of 100 old bridges.

❖ Plantation of trees at 100 stretches.

• Project Monitoring Information System

(PMIS):

The department takes up numerous road

infrastructure projects every year involving huge
capital expenditure. The execution of the project
involves procurement, pre-construction and
construction activities. Delay at any stage not

147
only adversely impacts progress in completion of
works but also affects timely delivery of service to
the public. In addition, time and cost over-runs
cause huge avoidable financial burden.

To complete the projects in time, to monitor

the activities at various stages and to manage the
projects effectively, an announcement was made
by the Hon'ble Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports Department during the
budget session for the year 2023-24 to evolve a
web-based solution to ensure real time monitoring
of works. Following this, the department has
developed a web-based and mobile compatible,
Project Monitoring Information System (PMIS).
With the help of this web enabled application, the
field officials implementing the projects can
upload relevant documents and update the
progress of works, which can be viewed by the
Superior Officers, at any point of time. Execution
of projects can be monitored on a real time basis

148
and delay in activities at various stages can be
captured for timely intervention to remove
obstacles. This monitoring tool has helped in
identifying critical issues and resolving the same
in time. As a result, it was possible to commence
almost all the works in the same financial year,
which was an unique achievement.

• Namma Saalai App:

As a part of response to the grievances of

public regarding condition of road and related
issues, a mobile based application has been
developed. "Namma Saalai" is a web-based tool
for reporting bad patches/potholes/any other
grievances in roads owned by the department.
In the august presence of Hon’ble Minister for
Public Works, Highways & Minor Ports, the
Hon’ble Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports
Development launched this app on 1.11.2023.
The potholes, reported through ‘Namma Saalai’
are rectified within 24 hours on State Highways

149
and within 72 hours in Major District Roads and
Other District Roads. The image of the rectified
road patch is uploaded on the mobile app
immediately for view by the complainant.
In the 2023-24, 2129 complaints have been
resolved to the satisfaction of the public within
the time prescribed.

• Digitization of roads and Monitoring

Passenger Car Units (PCUs) for road
expansion

During Budget session 2023-24, Hon’ble Minister

for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports,
announced that digitization of road assets and
traffic intensity will be carried out by the
Department. Enumeration of vehicular flow and
quantifying PCUs is essential for capacity
augmentation of roads. The work has
commenced on a ‘Proof of Concept’ (PoC) for AI-
based analytics for assessing the count and
classification of vehicles on road corridors from

150
the video feeds. It has also been decided to
digitize the road boundaries and assets to enable
easy access to information for planning future
development of road infrastructure.

With this background, M/s. TANSAM, a Centre

of Excellence, promoted by TIDCO, has been
engaged for developing the PoC under the expert
guidance of Indian Institute of Technology,
Madras. The methodology involves capturing
video feeds on 24/7 basis at important sample
locations through advanced cameras.
Accordingly, data collection is being done
throughout the important corridors of the State
Road network.

• Closed User Group Numbers

The Engineers of Highways Department have

been provided with Closed User Group (CUG)
Numbers to enable the public and officials of other
departments to communicate easily with the

151
department Officials regarding maintenance of
roads, particularly during emergency arising out
of natural disasters or calamities.

11.4 OTHER INITIATIVES

• Internal Audit System

The Internal Audit system for the verification

of works and related documents has been initiated
in the department and officials from the
neighboring districts/ circles are deputed to
conduct surprise inspections every year. The
observations made by the Internal Audit Team are
being scrupulously addressed and compliance
reported.

• Revolving Fund

The proposals for the preparation of DPRs

from revolving fund of Rs.20 Cr are being
approved by the Committee consisting of the
Additional Chief Secretary, Highways and Minor
Ports department, an Officer from the Finance

152
department and the Chief Engineers concerned.
Under this umbrella, shelf of projects is prepared
well in advance, for taking up works for
execution. The amount meant for preparation of
DPR in the estimates is reimbursed to the
revolving fund at the time of execution of works.
175 projects have been sanctioned so far and
preparation of DPRs is in progress.

• High Level Dispute Resolution

Committee

A High Level Dispute Resolution Committee

(HLDRC) has been constituted to resolve
contractual disputes that might arise in execution
of the contracts. The committee is empowered to
evolve guidelines for dispute resolution amicably.
Amicable settlement has been achieved with the
intervention of this Committee.

153
• High Power Committee

A High Power committee under the

Chairmanship of Chief Secretary to Government
has been constituted with powers and procedures
to sort out the issues related to land acquisition,
transfer of lands, shifting of utilities and
structures, rehabilitation of project affected
people (PAP), inter-departmental issues, statutory
clearances to ensure timely completion of the
projects.

154
 12. BUDGETARY ALLOCATION

The Highways and Minor Ports Department is

striving hard to provide all-weather quality road
infrastructure. Based on the need for
development and maintenance of road
infrastructure, budgetary allocations are made
every year.

In the year 2023-24, Rs.16,990.92 Cr was

allotted for Plan works. Out of this, expenditure of
Rs.16,624.88 Cr has been incurred.

The budgetary allocations for the year

2024-25 are as follows;

155
 Budget
Sl. Estimate
SCHEMES/PROJECTS
No 2024-25
(Rs.in Cr)
(A) Capital Head
1 National Highways
Revamped Central Road Fund 208.00
Chennai Port- Maduravoyal 36.34
Elevated Corridor
2 Construction and Maintenance
Comprehensive Road
Infrastructure Development 8297.52
Programme
Road Safety 4.15
Permanent Flood Restoration
37.04
works
Bypass formation and
108.60
Land Acquisition
Other works 281.01
Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure 20.00
Development Corporation
Tamil Nadu Road Development 834.63
Company

156
 Budget
Sl. Estimate
SCHEMES/PROJECTS
No 2024-25
(Rs.in Cr)
Chennai Peripheral Ring Road 2267.02
Chennai Kanniyakumari 907.85
Industrial Corridor Project
3 Projects
Comprehensive Road
Infrastructure Development 67.80
Programme
High Level Bridges/River 5.67
Bridges/bypass works
ROB/RUBs/Elevated Corridor 1242.02
Road Works 49.98
4 Tamil Nadu Road Sector
275.92
Project-II
5 NABARD & Rural Roads

Upgradation of Panchayat Union

Roads /Panchayat roads to ODR 1600.00

Standard

157
 Budget
Sl. Estimate
SCHEMES/PROJECTS
No 2024-25
(Rs.in Cr)
High Level Bridges/River Bridges
under NABARD Loan Assistance 754.37
Scheme
High Level Bridges/River Bridges
26.84
/ bypass Works under State Fund
6 Chennai Metropolitan
400.48
Development Plan works
7 Others
Investigation /Estimation of
Project work under Roads and 17.75
Bridges
Revolving Fund for preparation 20.00
of DPR
Inter Account Transfers 426.81
Capital Head Total 17889.81
(B) Revenue Head 2152.55
Total 20042.36

158
 Conclusion

The road network is the backbone of the

economy and is an irreplaceable item in the
development agenda. The Road and Bridge
infrastructure ably support all-round growth of the
State. The department of Highways strives hard
to provide, safe, comfortable, and efficient
mobility solution and pledges to continually
update its knowledge and potential, to serve the
State and its subjects better.

E.V.Velu
Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports
Department

159
Hon’ble Chief Minister inaugurated the 5 lakh tree saplings planting
Ceremony at HRS campus, Chennai on 7.6.2023.
 In the presence of Hon'ble Minister for Public Works, Highways and
Minor Ports, Hon'ble Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development
launched the “Namma Saalai app” for Highways Department on 1.11.2023
 Hon’ble Chief Minister handed over
Appointment orders to Junior Drafting Officers on 8.3.2024.
Hon’ble Chief Minister laid Foundation stone for the Construction of
Elevated Corridor from Teynampet - Saidapet at Anna Salai,
Chennai on 19.1.2024.
Hon’ble Chief Minister inaugurated High Level Bridge across
Buckingham canal at Thiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetti road,
Tiruvallur District through Video Conference on 7.9.2023.
Hon’ble Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply
and Hon’ble Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports
conducted a Road safety review meeting on 8.7.2023 in Trichy District.
Hon’ble Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports inspected
the flood affected GST road at Chromepet near Government
General Hospital- Chengalpattu District
Hon’ble Minister for Public Works,Highways and Minor Ports inspected
the quality of Chinna Coonoor- Ebbanad road-The Nilgiris District
Tree saplings planted along Vadamadurai-Ottanchathiram road
Four laning of Cuddalore – Chittoor road.
 Road over Bridge in lieu of LC-7 at
Omalur-Muthunaickenpatti-Salem District
Four-laning of Tirunelveli – Sengottai – Kollam road.
Hon’ble Chief Minister inaugurated Indira Nagar ‘U’ Shaped fly over at
Rajiv Gandhi Salai (OMR), Chennai on 23.11.2023.
(Before Improvement) (After Improvement)
Road safety works
Junction improvements carried out in
Erode-Perundurai-Kangeyam road.
HIGHWAYS AND MINOR PORTS
DEPARTMENT

Policy Note
2023 - 2024

Demand No. 21

E.V. VELU
Minister for Public Works,
Highways and Minor Ports Department

©
Government of Tamil Nadu
2023