City roads to get a new look!

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday announced that the arterial roads in Chennai would be upgraded to world-class standards.Making a suo motu statement in the State Assembly, the Chief Minister said  that since the roads in urban and suburban areas maintained by the Highways Department were being subjected to different kinds of transportation, accidents were on the rise, besides increasing the traffic congestion. As such, there was a need for special attention for the maintenance of these roads. In the first phase, on an experimental basis, Anna Salai, EVR Periyar High Road and Inner Ring Road would be upgraded to international standards in an integrated manner, the CM said.The space requirements of pedestrians, two-wheelers, other small vehicles, heavy vehicles and all other kinds of transportation, parking facilities, safety aspects, traffic signals and markings, pipeline facilities of other departments, facilities for differently-abled persons and providing green cover along the roads were among the aspects to be taken into consideration while planning the upgradation of these arterial roads, the Chief Minister added.The CM further said that the upgradation project would be prepared very soon and would be executed.