Grand Western Trunk Road, Poonamallee High Road, State Highway Urban 86 | |
Namesake | EVR Periyar |
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Maintained by | Highways and Minor Ports Department Corporation of Chennai |
Length | 8.7 mi (14.0 km) The 8.7-mile stretch refers to the stretch from Muthuswamy Bridge near Madras Medical College at Park Town in the east to the Maduravoyal Junction in the west. The stretch continues further west to a national highway (NH4). |
East end | Muthuswamy Bridge near Madras Medical College at Park Town, Chennai |
West end | Maduravoyal bypass junction, Chennai |
EVR Periyar Salai (SHU 86)(EVR High Road),[1] earlier known as Poonamallee High Road (NH 48) and originally the Grand Western Trunk Road, is an arterial road in Chennai, India. It is the longest road in Chennai. Running from east to west, the 14-kilometre (8.7 mi) road starts at Muthuswamy Bridge near Madras Medical College at Park Town and ends near Maduravoyal Junction via Kilpauk, Aminjikarai, Anna Nagar Arch, Arumbakkam, Koyambedu. It further continues west towards Poonamallee and traverses the towns of Sriperumbudur, Walajapet, and Ranipet.
The road, particularly along its eastern end, has some of the most impressive civic institutions and heritage structures of the city, including the Ripon Building (the seat of civic body), the Victoria Public Hall (the city's Town Hall), the Central train station, the Moore Market (razed in the late 20th century), Madras Medical College, and St Andrew's Kirk.
It connects two of the vital transport installations of the city, Chennai Central railway station and the CMBT. The road has more hospitals than any other roads in the city and is popularly known as the city's 'Med street'. The road is named after the noted social activist and politician Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.[2]