The Chennai Outer Ring Road Phase II project, costing Rs 985.44 crore, has been bagged by a consortium of Ashoka Buildcon and GVR Infra Projects. The Tamil Nadu government had earmarked Rs 1,075 crore for the project, which will decongest Chennai roads. The 62-km ORR project links the peripheral areas of the city from Vandalur in the south, about 25 km from Chennai on NH 45, to Minjur to the north of Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company awarded the development of the second phase of Chennai Outer Ring Road (ORR) from Nemilicheri in NH 205 to Minjur in Thiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetti Road on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer basis to the consortium.

The consortium is a 50:50 joint venture between Ashoka Buildcon and GVR Infra. The project is on annuity basis with a concession period of 20 years, says a press release issued by Ashoka Buildcon.

In January 2012, the Tamil Nadu Government cleared the second phase of the ORR project, which will redirect heavy vehicles and container laden trucks coming from southern districts to Chennai and Ennore ports and industrial corridors near Chennai.

The first phase of the project, 29.5 km linking Vandalur to Nazarathpet on NH 4 to Nemilichery on NH 205, is nearing completing in the public-private partnership mode at a cost of Rs 1,081.54 crore.