According to sources from the National Highway Authority of India, work on the 20.6 km double-decker elevated highway between Chennai Port and Maduravoyal, which will cost Rs 58.55 billion, is expected to start in December or January.

Tenders were launched last month for the construction of a two-stage, four-lane elevated corridor from Port to Maduravoyal as part of Prime Minister Gati Shakti's program. The elevated corridor will be built in four parts. The 12 km long section of the 20.6 km long corridor will be double-decked. While the project is expected to take 24 to 36 months, the priority is to obtain land belonging to the Indian Navy by building separate quarters for them on army land in Saidapet.

Inaugurated by two prime ministers, the project was initially shelved in 2012 due to an argument between the Water Resources Department (WRD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) during the regime of then-CM J Jayalalitha. In 2015, Nitin Gandkari, then Union Minister of Shipping, wanted to break the deadlock and has been working on an amicable settlement since 2016.