Chennai: The long-pending project to widen congested Chennai–Tiruttani High (CTH) Road has gained momentum again, with the next round of land acquisition notices issued to 153 property owners at Thirumullaivoyalnear Avadi. The notices cover 3.5 acres of land that are needed to expand the stretch from four lanes to six.Landowners have been given 30 days to file objections, which will be heard at a public meeting on June 5, as per officials from the state highways Department’s construction and maintenance wing.The 22-km stretch between Padi and Thirunindravur was first earmarked for widening in 2013, but there was little progress for more than a decade due to acquisition delays and incomplete infrastructure along the corridor.Though notices were issued to five of the 14 revenue villages on the stretch, the process did not proceed in other villages, including Thirumullaivoyal, until last week.S Suresh of the Federation of Ambattur Residents’ Welfare Associations (FARWA) questioned the timing, calling it a “publicity stunt in the run-up to elections.” “These notices mean nothing if tenders, funds, and work orders don’t follow immediately. The same thing has been happening for the past 15 years,” he said.Roy Rosario, a resident-activist from Avadi, said the highways department had long turned a blind eye to vendors and merchants encroaching upon the CTH Road, shrinking the usable road width to just around 15m. “They must first clear these temporary encroachments to ease congestion,” he said. With the road overbridge at Pattabiram partially complete and Outer Ring Road (ORR) now fully operational between Vandalur and Minjur, activist T Sadagopan believes the groundwork is finally in place for CTH Road expansion. He also said the proposed metro extension from Koyambedu to Pattabiram received DPR approval, and consolidating land acquisition through CTH Road project would be more efficient.Once the 22-km stretch is widened, connectivity to Tirupati is expected to improve significantly. Beyond Thirunindravur and up to Tiruttani, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is fast-tracking its widening efforts, making the CTH stretch the missing link in the larger transit corridor. The project was earlier estimated to cost 158 crore.