The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) will conduct a topographic survey of 4.55 km of roads in Chengalpattu to prepare a plan for improving road space and easing traffic congestion, according to an authority document reported by The Hindu.
The survey will cover three road stretches: 1.9 km of State Highway Urban Stretch Six, or SHU 6, passing through Sadras, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Arakkonam and Tiruttani Road; 2.3 km of Chengalpattu Main Road; and 350 metres of PV Kalathur Road. The findings will be used to prepare a Road Space Allocation Plan for proposed traffic-management measures.
CUMTA said the survey would record detailed information on the roads and their surrounding built environment. This will include carriageways, medians, footpaths, cycle tracks, junctions, bus stops, bridges and culverts. Survey teams will also map building boundaries and entrances along the road stretches, allowing planners to account for access points while deciding how available road space can be organised.
The exercise will also document stormwater drains, manholes, drainage outlets and flood-prone locations, along with streetlights, utility poles, signboards and other roadside features. The inclusion of drainage infrastructure means the survey will capture both traffic movement and the physical systems that influence how the roads function during heavy rain.
Road levels and cross-sections will generally be measured at intervals of 20 metres. Additional measurements will be taken at curves and at locations where ground levels change sharply. The survey will also extend at least 50 metres along roads joining the identified stretches, according to the document.
Topographic surveys provide the base data needed before detailed road or traffic-management designs are prepared. In Chengalpattu, the exercise will bring together information on movement, access, drainage and roadside infrastructure within a single planning record. The authority said the resulting topographic data and drawings would provide the groundwork for detailed engineering designs for the proposed traffic-management measures.
The immediate outcome announced by CUMTA is the preparation of the survey and the subsequent Road Space Allocation Plan. The authority document does not specify a construction schedule, the final design of the interventions or a budget for implementing the proposed measures.
