The square will have a multi-storied parking lot in its basement, which will also form the foundation of the complex. The 3-storied parking lot will have the capacity to accommodate 1000 cars.[3] The total area of the square will be 154,950 sq meters. A 150-meter-tall, 33-storey building will mark the center of the square.[4][5] The Central Square is deemed to ease congestion along the Poonamallee High Road and integrate several modes of transportation in the city. Construction began in April 2019.[3][6] In addition to underground passages and subways connecting people to Ripon Buildings, Park railway station, Park Town railway station, Chennai Central Railway Station, Moore Market Complex building, and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital,[7] the intersection will have bus bays, auto stands, and taxi drop-off points to facilitate seamless travel from one mode of transport to another.[3]
A Metro Rail museum showcasing the process that went into the construction of the city's Metro is being commissioned in Raja Sir Savalai Ramaswamy Mudaliar Choultry, a heritage building opposite the Chennai Central railway station.[9]
Progress
As of March 2020, fountains and beautification works were expected to be complete in three months and an underground parking and two pedestrian subways (renovation of the existing subway and construction of a new subway connecting Central Metro station) were expected to be complete in a year's time. The underground parking lot at the Chennai Park suburban railway station will have a capacity to accommodate more than 800 cars. Two more subways are under construction, one linking the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital with Chennai Central and the other linking Evening Bazaar Road with Chennai Central.[10]
Central Square was inaugurated by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on 30 March 2022.[11]
