Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Work on sewers throws traffic out of gear

T. Madhavan

Encroachments, haphazard parking worsen problem in Madipakkam

HOLD UP: Construction work under way to lay sewers on the Medavakkam Main Road near Madipakkam.

CHENNAI : Frequent traffic pile-ups on Medavakkam Main Road, near Madipakkam, where the road is being dug up for an underground sewerage project, is causing concern to motorists as well as residents.

On Tuesday, vehicles were lined up to the UTI Bank junction. Motorists blame the traffic situation on the pipe laying and digging works undertaken by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board since Friday.

V. Keerthivasan of Adambakkam said traffic on the stretch had increased manifold with the expansion of residential colonies in Madipakkam, Ullagaram-Puzhithivakkam and Kovilambakkam areas. Shops and other commercial establishments have encroached both sides of the entire stretch. Haphazard parking along the road margins worsened the problem, he said. He suggested that two-wheelers could be diverted through the side lanes to ease congestion during peak hours.

An Exnora member said authorities should clear encroachments, as well as sand deposits on the roadside.

Police said lorries were diverted through side lanes and only two-wheelers and buses were allowed to ply towards St. Thomas Mount. But, in reality, lorries plying from the side lanes enter the main road, posing problems for other road users.

Residents' welfare associations demanded the widening of the Medavakkam Main Road, and urged Metrowater to complete the work early to enable the Highways authorities to undertake road laying.

A Metrowater official said a portion of the road from UTI Bank junction to Keelkatalai Bus Terminus would be dug up to lay pipeline. At least 35 manholes would be constructed on this stretch, and works would be completed in two months, he added.

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