The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Water seepage makes subway a slippery and risky terrain

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Water seepage makes subway a slippery and risky terrain

K. Manikandan

Residents seek immediate repair work

TRICKY TRACK: Water seeping into the road surface is causing problems to motorists using the Thillai Ganga Nagar subway near Pazhavanthangal. — Photo: K. Manikandan

TAMBARAM : The continuous seepage of water inside the Thillaiganga Nagar subway between Pazhavanthangal and St. Thomas Mount railway stations has resulted in slippery surfaces, causing accidents involving motorcycle riders. Residents of the locality have urged the State Highways Department to carry out repair works immediately.

The subway was built at a cost of Rs. 7. 6 crore under the World Bank-assisted Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project and is part of the Inner Ring Road Project. Work on the project started in 1996-97 and though the Southern Railway completed its portion of the work of laying deck slabs within a short time, the subway was opened for traffic only in 2002.

Apart from land acquisition delays, stagnation of rainwater was an important factor for the delay in its completion. And even today, monsoon's effect could be seen as ground water continues to seep in many places of the subway. As a large portion of the road surface in the subway is wet and slippery, motorists, particularly two-wheeler riders, are exposed to risks.

Frequent accidents

K. S. Shankaranarayanan, secretary of the Thillaiganga Nagar Welfare Association, said that nothing short of two accidents took place a week. Recently, a doctor in the locality sustained head injuries while travelling in a vehicle. He pointed out that the subway was rendered unusable for more than a month during the rainy season every year.

Though staff engaged by the State Highways Department clear accumulated silt, adequate attention was not paid to prevent seepage of water, he said.

V. Kuppan, president of the Adambakkam Exnora Innovators Club, feared the continuous seepage of water might damage not only the road surface but also the re-inforced cement concrete raft provided beneath it.

He said that further damage could be prevented by grouting the damaged portions with cement slurry and also by arresting water seepage from the subway's walls. Mr. Kuppan said that as driving conditions were unsafe owing to the slippery surface, reflective stickers at curves and warning signs should be installed at the subway.

Highways officials said they were aware of the problem. Staff would be deployed to clean the surface, they said, adding that they also planned to install pipelines for collecting the rainwater. (eom)

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