Chennai Outer Ring Road Toll Charges to Continue for 25 Years
Motorists using the 60.15-km Chennai Outer Ring Road (CORR) will have to pay toll fees until 2050, as the Tamil Nadu government has invited bids to monetise the six-lane corridor under a public-private partnership. The Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TANSHA) will adopt the National Highways Authority of India’s Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model, leasing the road to private operators for a one-time payment, allowing them to recover the investment through toll collection over 25 years.
Built at a public cost of ₹2,160 crore, the CORR runs from Vandalur to Minjur via Nemilichery and has been valued at around ₹2,000 crore under the State’s Asset Monetisation Pipeline. Toll plazas at Varadharajapuram, Kolappancheri, Palavedu, and Chinnamulaivoyal will remain under private control during the concession period.
While the government says the move will fund future infrastructure projects, motorists and civil society groups have criticised the decision, calling it unfair to charge repeatedly for a road built with public funds.
Traffic is expected to grow sharply, with some stretches projected to handle more than double the current vehicle volume by 2050 — for example, Varadharajapuram plaza could see over 70,000 vehicles daily, up from 31,000 now.
