The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) at Koyambedu, considered to be the largest in Asia, is all set to get an integrated multi-storeyed parking facility with two basements and above-ground floors that will house omnibuses, and idle parking for buses of various state transport corporations (STC).
The project has been mooted in the wake of the existing parking facility being saturated and the problems posed by long distance buses idly parked for long hours.
The new parking lot will come up at a four-acre vacant site situated opposite the existing omnibus terminus for private buses.
The top floor of the basement will be allotted for parking of four wheelers with a maximum capacity of 400 vehicles, while the floor underneath will house a two-wheeler parking facility that would accommodate 1,000 two-wheelers.
The omnibus terminus near the vegetable market, which is in a bad shape and lacks basic amenities including toilets and rest rooms, will be shifted to the ground floor of the new parking lot, where all amenities for passengers and drivers will be provided.
The first floor will serve as idle parking for STC buses and would mitigate the serious issue of congestion faced by CMBT due to haphazard parking of long-distance buses preventing free flow of other buses that enter and leave the CMBT.
Officials in Urban Development department say that the project could be termed as a treble whammy for the choking Koyambedu terminus as it would solve three issues at one go.
Though the existing parking lot is just 15 months old, the facility had started facing space crunch a few months after inception. It could accommodate 2,000 vehicles.