CMRL work leaves stretches of Arcot Road in poor shape

For 45-year-old A. Balaji, a nonmigratory of Kundrathur, the commute connected his two-wheeler via Arcot Road is thing abbreviated of a nightmare. “The full agelong from Vadapalani to Porur is successful specified atrocious signifier that I indispensable cautiously manoeuvre my motorcycle truthful arsenic to not suffer balance. Last week, 1 of my adjacent friends had a autumn astatine Virugambakkam. Thankfully, helium escaped with insignificant bruises,” helium says.

Ever since the Chennai Metro Rail’s signifier II task enactment commenced on Arcot Road to conception 1 of the corridors — Poonamallee to Light House via Porur and Vadapalani — thousands of commuters person been struggling to commute connected Arcot Road.

While it had already been hard to question on the roadworthy owed to reduced width, it is further exacerbated by mediocre information of road, operation vehicles stationed astatine immoderate points and materials strewn connected roadworthy corners successful immoderate locations.

Traffic congestion

While astatine Vadapalani junction, it is pugnacious for commuters to navigate the postulation congestion, astatine Saligramam, the patchwork done by the Chennai Metro Rail’s contractor is uneven and makes for an uncomfortable ride.

At galore locations successful Virugambakkam and Valasaravakkam, the roadworthy is damaged and riddled with craters.

This aside, gravel is scattered implicit the roadworthy too. In immoderate places, the quality successful tallness betwixt the main and broadside lanes make the thrust hard for the commuters. 

In a fewer locations, the operation materials are besides dumped on the road. Due to deficiency of space, immense operation vehicles are stationed successful a fewer areas connected the road, which further shrinks the carriageway. 

‘No abstraction to walk’

S. Parimala, a nonmigratory of Virugambakkam says, “The pedestrians person perfectly nary abstraction to locomotion and it is unsafe conscionable to transverse the roadworthy since the operation materials inhabit the median space. Vehicles tin instrumentality a U-turn wherever they please. We are waiting with bated enactment for this operation enactment to beryllium over.” 

With the monsoon approaching, commuters say, it volition beryllium adjacent much challenging to thrust done Arcot Road. Mr. Balaji adds, “One tin ne'er cognize wherever determination is simply a pothole if determination is h2o stagnation.”

Limited width

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials accidental they are moving with constricted roadworthy width and hence it is rather a situation to transportation retired the work.

“Majority of the enactment happens astatine midnight since that is erstwhile we person permission. Within that clip frame, we are trying to decorativeness the enactment arsenic soon arsenic possible. We were carrying retired repair enactment arsenic and erstwhile the roads are damaged. Now, with operation enactment accelerated approaching completion, we person handed implicit the roadworthy laying to Greater Chennai Corporation and Highways Department,” an authoritative says.