The Tamil Nadu Highways Department’s 3.2-km Teynampet-Saidapet flyover project has raised eyebrows due to its staggering construction cost of ₹195 crore per kilometre – nearly 50% higher than similar elevated corridors built by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Cost Comparison: Teynampet-Saidapet Flyover vs. NHAI Projects
Teynampet-Saidapet Flyover (4-lane, Chennai): ₹195 crore/km (Total: ₹621 crore)
NHAI’s 6-lane Elevated Corridors (TN & other states): ₹120-130 crore/km
Let’s take a look at the costing of the recently completed flyovers in Tamil Nadu.
The 4-lane Koyambedu flyover that was completed in 2021 cost ₹95 crore/km
The 4-lane Medavakkam flyover that was completed in 2022 cost ₹100 crore/km.
The 6.9km 4-lane Madurai-Natham Road also cost ₹100 crore/km.
Inflated project cost to accommodate bribery?
The average per km construction cost of 3.2 km Teynampet-Saidapet flyover project in Chennai pegged at Rs. 195 crore. Total project cost is Rs. 621 Cr.
In contrast, NHAI which follows stricter design & higher construction… pic.twitter.com/aBHDTTKol9
— B Anbuselvan (@anbu_madras) August 18, 2025
Why the Huge Cost Difference?
State officials cite soil stabilisation (due to an underground metro tunnel), utility relocations on congested Anna Salai, and specialised construction techniques to reduce load on pillars. However, industry experts question the justification, as:
NHAI projects follow stricter design and higher standards but remain cheaper.
Even upcoming NHAI corridors (e.g., Maduravoyal-ORR, ORR-Sriperumbudur) are priced at ₹160 crore/km, still 18% cheaper than Teynampet’s ₹195 crore/km.
The Teynampet flyover’s budget has surged 29% in two years. It was pegged at ₹482 crore in April 2022, which increased to ₹525 crore in March 2023 and then jumped further to ₹621 crore in 2024.
Highways authorities argue that micro-piling, geosynthetic reinforcements, and metro tunnel safety measures inflated costs. However, critics point out that state-funded projects should typically be cheaper than NHAI’s PPP models, raising concerns over estimation accuracy and transparency.
While the Teynampet flyover promises to cut travel time from 40 minutes to 10, its exceptionally high cost compared to national standards has sparked debate over fiscal prudence in infrastructure spending. With 30% work completed, scrutiny over expenditure is likely to intensify.
(With inputs from The New Indian Express)
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