CHENNAI: Delay in construction of two major bypass road projects on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) has worsened traffic congestion between Kelambakkam and Thiruporur.
Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC), which started the project five years ago, has missed the deadline resulting in a significant impact on travel time on the IT corridor.
Residents of Padur, Kelambakkam and Thiruporur, who work at IT firms and other offices in the area, use the four-lane road to reach their work places and get back home.
Besides this, south-bound vehicles use this stretch to reach Mahabalipuram or Pondicherry via East Coast Road (ECR). This leads to frequent traffic jams in the area, particularly during peak hours.
The TNRDC in 2018 proposed to construct two bypasses after Siruseri Kelambakkam (4.67 km) and Thiruporur (7.45 km) at an estimated cost of over 201 crore to decongest the road stretch. But the cost escalated due to delay.
G Satish, a resident-activist from OMR, said, “Though we were told that land acquisition was completed and the contractor had started construction in 2018, it has progressed at a snail's pace. All it requires is a proper push from the government.”
There are no sign boards at the roundtana near Padur (starting point of the bypass road) to inform motorists not to take any diversions on OMR as construction work is still in progress. Many Mahabalipuram-bound vehicles end up taking the left at this routana thinking the project is complete and end up returning to the main road after a detour, he said.
Besides this, motorists complain on inadequate lighting leading to accidents.
