Motorists driving between Maduravoyal and Koyambedu should complain less about traffic blocks. In a big relief for those taking the Poonamallee High Road, the State Highways Department recently demolished a 20-feet-tall concrete pillar on the stretch, at Rail Nagar in Mogappair.
The move was initiated as the concrete pillar occupied more than 10-feet of the carriageway, reducing the total road space and hindering the view of oncoming motorists.
With little scope for widening of road due to a bund of the Cooum river, the Department razed down the decade-old structure.
A new modern traffic signal would be installed near the demolished pillar to regulate traffic. The demolished pillar was part of the now defunct multi-crore elevated expressway corridor project connecting Poonamallee with the port to help container lorries from key arterial routes — PH Road, Kolkata Highway and Bangalore Highway — reach the port.
The ‘junction’ was chaotic as motorists took a right turn at the concrete pillar, taking motorists coming from Maduravoyal by surprise. The traffic spot lacked safety features such as reflectors, warning signboards and street lights. A police booth is located opposite the concrete pillar towards Maduravoyal, but it does not help regulate traffic there.
Container lorries from these routes trundle down city roads resulting in traffic chaos and accidents, especially at night. Due to the delay in getting environmental clearance from various government bodies, the decade-old project remains a non-starter. “The pillar had to be demolished to ease traffic flow. Reflectors and other safety props will also be installed near the demolished pillar to prevent accidents,” says a State Highways official.