Light House to Adyar Elevated Road Revived: What It Means for Buyers in Santhome and Adyar

What happened?

DT Next reported that the state Highways Department has floated a tender to hire a consultant for a detailed project report on a 4 km raised road linking Light House with the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge in Adyar. The consultancy is pegged at Rs 38.10 lakh, up from the Rs 30 lakh the minister had mentioned in the Assembly on August 18, and the work is meant to finish in two months.

The Times of India reported that officials describe this version as road-side rather than the earlier sea-facing design. According to the paper, it would run over Santhome High Road and Greenways Road before crossing the Adyar river, and an official expects some stretches to need private land because the carriageway is narrow in places. The same official said concrete would be preferred because of rust near the sea.

DT Next noted that the study will also look at an underpass extension, junction upgrades, service roads, traffic surveys and soil and drainage work. It added that the alignment passes Pattinapakkam, where a proposed new Secretariat has drawn opposition from the fishing community, and that the status of that site is unclear. The Times of India said the stretch takes about 30 minutes at peak hours and about 20 minutes otherwise, and that traffic would be diverted to Loop Road during construction.

Which sectors are affected?

• Santhome High Road
• Light House to Adyar
• Mylapore
• Santhome
• Raja Annamalaipuram
• Adyar
• Chennai residential real estate

Distance from the projects

Distances as sourced on our research pages.

Potential impact

If the road is eventually built, quicker movement between the Marina side and Adyar could improve how liveable the Santhome and Adyar belt feels for daily commuters, and that tends to support demand over time. Today, though, only a report is being commissioned. Nothing has been approved or funded for construction, and this idea has been proposed and dropped several times before.

There are near-term negatives too. Land needs, relocation concerns and an unresolved Secretariat question could delay or reshape the plan, and construction would bring diversions and disruption to residents along the route. Chennai's average of Rs 9,200 per sq ft in our data is a city-wide figure, so any local price effect from this project should be treated as speculative until an alignment is final.