TN Studies Road Link Between Airport Satellite Terminal and Tambaram Bypass

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to study the feasibility of constructing a road link to connect the proposed satellite terminal at Chennai international airport with the Tambaram-Maduravoyal bypass, ensuring that the natural flow of the Adyar river and nearby residential pockets remain unaffected.

Senior secretary-level state officials held a detailed meeting on Friday with officers from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to discuss the execution of the planned fifth terminal. The terminal is slated to come up at the wide-end of the intersecting runways at the airport.

The push for expanding the existing airport infrastructure follows the state government's official decision to shelve the Parandur greenfield airport project. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had stated that a satellite terminal would be constructed along with road connectivity linking it directly to the Tambaram-Maduravoyal bypass road.

According to officials, the construction of the terminal itself will not require any additional land acquisition. However, discussions are underway regarding the exact design and alignment of the connecting road corridor.

The Airports Authority of India has proposed a four-kilometre elevated corridor to connect the terminal directly with the bypass road. In contrast, the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has suggested constructing the road at ground level. A ground-level alignment would provide accessibility to intermediate residential neighbourhoods such as Pozhichalur and Tharapakkam along the route.

A key priority for the state administration during the planning phase is safeguarding the surrounding ecology. The government remains focused on executing the satellite terminal while ensuring that the Adyar river, which flows along the periphery of the airport, is not disrupted by the upcoming infrastructure work.