Eastern Bypass project stuck; forest department land swap permission remains incomplete

IT sector employee Vidya Sridhar, who stays near Vandalur, said the bypass would benefit workers on OMR and Velachery and urged the new government to take steps to complete the work.

The bridge will be 23 metres wide with 70 piers; the longer arm landing near Madambakkam junction will be 1,442.692 metres long, and the section near Rajakilpakkam junction will be 943.406 metres; the project is expected to be completed in 18 months.

A total of 122 structures stood on the bed; 22 encroachers have been removed. The government arranged alternative accommodation through the Urban Habitat Board, with ₹6.24 crore to be paid to the board; housing allocations have yet to be made.

Demolition work includes a swimming pool, an overhead tank and its motor room, an office of the local ward member, and a ration shop, as part of clearing the project alignment.

Work to construct the final 9-km Eastern Bypass bridge began recently as part of the project to decongest GST Road and provide access to Velachery.

Approval to hand over 675 meters of the Vandalur Reserve Forest land in exchange for land in Narayanapuram in Chengalpattu district remains pending, with officials noting the clearance has been pursued for more than three years.

Stage one clearance from the Centre for the Eastern Bypass project was obtained, marking an early administrative milestone for the long-running infrastructure proposal.