Mount - Poonamallee - Avadi ROB Widening Project to Ease Traffic Bottlenecks in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government has advanced plans to widen the Mount-Poonamallee-Avadi railway overbridge (ROB) to reduce chronic traffic congestion between Chennai’s western suburbs, officials said.
The project, estimated at ₹11.03 crore, will be undertaken under the Railway Works Programme on a cost-sharing basis between the State Highways Department and the Railways. Originally cleared in 2019, the proposal was recently included in the Railway Works Programme for 2022–23.
The existing overbridge, located between Avadi and Hindu College railway stations on the Chennai-Arakkonam line, forms a major bottleneck on the Mount-Poonamallee-Avadi Road. Currently just 11 metres wide, it narrows the four-lane divided carriageway and causes heavy congestion during morning and evening peak hours.
Under the widening plan, a new bridge structure will be built alongside the current one, with improved approach roads on both sides. Retaining walls and pedestrian footpaths will also be constructed. The Railways will execute the bridge works over the tracks, while the Highways Department will handle the approach roads.
The design for the project was approved by Southern Railways in September 2025. Once completed, the widened overbridge is expected to remove a key choke point on this busy corridor and significantly ease traffic congestion at the CTH Road junction.
