The St Thomas Mount-Poonamallee Road, a state highway (SH55), is one of the arterial roads connecting the city with suburbs in and around Poonamallee and National Highway 4.
The pothole-ridden road between Porur flyover and DLF
Chennai:
Another problem the motorists have been facing for the past six months is a pothole-ridden road between Porur flyover and DLF due to the ongoing work on underground drainage lines. "Before monsoon, it was the dust from dug up roads that acted as a deterrent.
After it rained recently, it is the slush that is slowing down the traffic along the stretch.
Now, parts of the dug up roads have been re-laid, but that has not brought any relief to motorists. The layer of tar is so thin that it caves in unable to bear the weight of the heavy vehicles. Two-wheeler riders face the risk of skidding on the road due to this," said V Swetha of Manapakkam, who uses the road to reach office every day.
Venkatesh, a resident of Alapakkam who works at DLF, said that there has always been some kind of work going on there and it has never been vehicle-friendly.
"There are no proper signals on the stretch and several roads branch out of the highway to connect nearby areas. The traffic gets choked during peak hours. Earlier, Porur junction frequently saw congestions, but the traffic there has been eased after the construction of the flyover. The rest of the stretch is still in a bad condition," he said.
When contacted, executive engineer for Zone 11 said that that the construction of new underground sewage lines is underway on the highway and it is being carried out by the state highway department itself. However, no official from the department concerned was available for their comment.
As the road is dotted with popular IT parks, hospitals, factories and shopping malls, the road remains packed throughout the week. Though the stretch has been witnessing continuous development activities, motorists bear the brunt of the road's bad condition. Despite the road was widened in select areas, the bottleneck near St Thomas Mount inadvertently delay the traffic.
Another problem the motorists have been facing for the past six months is a pothole-ridden road between Porur flyover and DLF due to the ongoing work on underground drainage lines. "Before monsoon, it was the dust from dug up roads that acted as a deterrent.
After it rained recently, it is the slush that is slowing down the traffic along the stretch.
Now, parts of the dug up roads have been re-laid, but that has not brought any relief to motorists. The layer of tar is so thin that it caves in unable to bear the weight of the heavy vehicles. Two-wheeler riders face the risk of skidding on the road due to this," said V Swetha of Manapakkam, who uses the road to reach office every day.
Venkatesh, a resident of Alapakkam who works at DLF, said that there has always been some kind of work going on there and it has never been vehicle-friendly.
"There are no proper signals on the stretch and several roads branch out of the highway to connect nearby areas. The traffic gets choked during peak hours. Earlier, Porur junction frequently saw congestions, but the traffic there has been eased after the construction of the flyover. The rest of the stretch is still in a bad condition," he said.
When contacted, executive engineer for Zone 11 said that that the construction of new underground sewage lines is underway on the highway and it is being carried out by the state highway department itself. However, no official from the department concerned was available for their comment.
Impact
The residents of Sivan Koil Street, Vanniyar Street and Sriramapuram in Choolaimedu was under the fear of a leptospirosis outbreak due to an overflowing underground sewerage. The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) attended to the overflow on Sivan Koil Street and it will construct a stormwater drain on the street. The damaged house service connections were also replaced by the department. The action comes following a report published by Dt Next, 'Choolaimedu residents fear leptospirosis
outbreak', on December 1.
If you notice any civic issues unattended by authorities, please write to us with a photograph at citizen.dtnext@dt.co.in