The city’s showpiece, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, or the IT Corridor as it is more popularly referred to, is set to undergo changes. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is planning a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on this stretch and recently organised a meeting of the concerned departments to discuss the implementation. The Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation Limited (TNRDC), promoted by the Government in 1998 for initiating public-private partnerships in road development and which is in charge of the IT Corridor development, has expressed reservations on the latest idea of the CMDA. It has opposed it on the grounds that a bus system would be detrimental to collection from tolls on the highway as more car users would shift in favour of buses. This in turn would affect the TNRDC’s expected rate of return from the IT Corridor project, which thanks to delays and cost overruns is already quite bleak.

Envisaged in 2001 or so, the IT Corridor really took off in 2003 with the formation of IT Expressway Limited (ITEL), a special purpose vehicle, promoted by the TNRDC. The project was estimated to cost Rs. 84.4 crore, not inclusive of preliminary, pre-operative expenses, interest during construction and insurance costs. It was estimated that the toll revenue in the first year after completion would be Rs. 5.3 crore while the operating costs would be Rs. 13.38 crore. The initial outlay was met by long-term debts with funding from various sources. The revenue deficit in running the road was to be met by an IT Bond Service Fund and also a surcharge per acre of land sold on the highway which was to be collected by SIPCOT.

When finally completed, the IT Corridor was to have “a three-lane carriageway with median and planter strips, service roads, non-motorised vehicle lanes and pedestrian foot-paths on either side” for the entire length of 20.1 km from Madhya Kailash to Siruseri. This was to be completed in 2 phases and a third phase was to take on work from Siruseri to Mahabalipuram. The whole stretch was to have bus-shelters, pedestrian subways, aesthetically designed street-lighting, conversion of electric wires to underground cables and service trenches for electricity, water and drain facilities. The project, dogged by delays from the start, achieved most of these only on the first stretch of 3 kms between Madhya Kailash and Velachery Junctions. Beyond this stretch, apart from widening the road and setting up facilities for easy traffic movement, very little has been done. It is still a common sight, for instance, to see pedestrians jumping over medians and crossing at all places. The separate bus and heavy vehicle lane is not there at all and lane discipline is pathetic. The pedestrian side-walks are non-existent after the initial stretch.

The first phase, which involved road-widening and laying of the highway along the 20.1 km stretch between Madhya Kailash and Siruseri was completed in 2008, a full three years after the planned date of completion. Costs had more than tripled, with the revised estimate of Rs. 130 crore for the first phase actually totalling to Rs. 400 crore. With collection from toll being roughly half of what was estimated (now at Rs. 2 crore a month), the inflow is hardly enough to cover the maintenance and operation costs. There is therefore no return on investment likely.

At this stage, work on the second phase, namely the laying of footpaths and providing all the allied facilities, is just beginning. Revised estimates for this phase stand at Rs. 500 crore as opposed to the initial  Rs. 280 crore. With private partners exiting the ITEL, the Government has stepped in and taken over the whole entity.

At this stage, the CMDA, perhaps under pressure due to increasing traffic congestion on the road, has proposed the BRTS. It has two alternative solutions in mind. The low cost solution is to provide for dedicated bus lanes and bays along the entire route. It is significant to point out here this does not look feasible given the lack of space for such facilities along the highway. In fact, beyond the Velachery junction, the road is for all practical purposes a two-lane highway only and dedicating one of these to buses would spell chaos. The high-cost solution looks at grade separators and high-tech buses at high speed. This would have a great impact on the finances of the IT Corridor.

Either way, the going looks sticky for the much-touted expressway. It is to be seen as to how the Government delivers a feasible solution.