Chennai: U-turn service road to decongest Inner Ring Road near Padi ROB

Chennai: The state highways department will soon start work on constructing a U-turn service road on both Padi and Korattur sides under the existing road overbridge on the Inner Ring Road (IRR), popularly known as Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, to improve traffic flow and reduce accidents. The U-turn facility will be built at a location between Villivakkam and Korattur railway stations on the IRR. Highways department officials said the new service road will enable residents of Villivakkam, Kolathur, Thathankuppam and adjoining areas on the right side of the IRR to reach Korattur, Red Hills and other areas on the left side without passing through the congested Korattur North junction. Vehicles headed towards the Greater Chennai Corporation’s proposed amusement park at Villivakkam Tank will also benefit as they will no longer need to go to the Korattur North signal to take a U-turn. Officials said the facility will eliminate the Korattur North signal, ensuring seamless flow of traffic on the IRR and preventing encroachment on highway land.
After the completion of the project, industries in the region, including Wheels India, Lucas TVS and Sundaram Clayton, are also expected to benefit from smooth freight movement. The project is an extension of an earlier government order issued on August 3, 2022, which provided for widening the existing RoB and upgrading the IRR to a dual five-lane carriageway under a comprehensive traffic and transportation study. Highway engineers estimate that about five per cent of the 24,299 commercial vehicles counted in the traffic census conducted in December 2022 will use the U-turn daily. On the Padi side, a service road of 374 metres on the left and a service road of 424 metres on the right is planned, 75 metres of which will pass under the railway line. On the Red Hills side, about 364 metres (left) and 354 metres (right) of service roads are proposed, along with an underpass of 75 metres. This design ensures a vertical clearance of over 5.5 metres below the railway girders. The department has floated a tender for the construction of the U-turn service road after the state government granted administrative approval of Rs 14.5 crore through a government order dated July 24, 2025. The project was originally announced in the 2025-26 budget by the Minister of Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports.