The Hindu had an article about the proposed Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretching from Vandalur in an arc all the way to Minjur in the North. It also had a diagram of the proposed road to be built by TNRDC which developed the East Coast Road, and is developing the IT Corridor through a special vehicle. What is notable about the ORR is the scale of the development proposed.

The carriage ways will be 122 metres wide, with a mass transit system running in the middle between the carriage ways, either a train system, or a special lane for buses. What is being proposed is pretty future proof in terms of capacity being built, and is a welcome step towards a better infrastructure for the emerging greater Chennai. Well planned access roads such as this with commercial areas clearly demarked at regular intervals will hopefully be followed by planned areas on either side.

One is reminded of how Anna Nagar was planned in the early days and executed over the years, so that today it is a better planned and laid out part of the city. The same can’t be said for KK Nagar, which is not as well planned, and certainly not well executed. Decentralizing commercial areas will also disperse traffic so that it does not converge into specific areas creating traffic jams. The ORR is part of the Master Plan being chalked out by the CMDA. One only hopes that the standards they incorporate into the Master Plan beyond the ORR are equally impressive, so that greater Chennai emerges as a well planned city that will add to Chennai’s quality of life.