The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Ltd (TNRDC) will soon begin work on a Rs 50-crore improvement and maintenance project on the East Coast road, a 113-km stretch connecting Shollinganallur junction (on the outskirts of Chennai) to Pondicherry. The framework for executing this project will be used as a model for other projects in the infrastructure sector.
The road development company has been set up as a 50:50 joint venture between the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (TIDCO) and the Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS).
This is the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company's first project.
As part of the improvement, The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company will put in place world class signages on the entire stretch which will include warning and information sign boards, centre line and edge line markings besides provision of traffic delineators and crash barriers. The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company will also strengthen and resurface the pavement along the 113-km stretch.
To recover the improvement and maintenance cost, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company proposes to charge a nominal toll from road users. However, two wheelers, cycles and local traffic will be exempt from paying a toll fee. A discount for regular road users is also under consideration.
The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company is planning to encourage investment from the private sector for future road maintenance and improvement.
It has invited bids from highway contractors for carrying out the improvement and maintenance work. The deadline for receiving the bids is March 20.
