Motorists want several highway stretches including Velachery-Tambaram Road, Radial Road, Medavakkam-Sholinganallur Road and Rajiv Gandhi Salai to be repaired. These were damaged during the recent incessant rain caused by cyclone Michaung.
“There are potholes even atop the iconic Anna Flyover on Anna Salai. The tar layer on top has shrunk revealing holes that are over two inches deep. At night, driving on the flyover has become difficult,” said G. Ramakrishnan, a resident of Besant Nagar.
According to Soundararajan, a resident of Mettukuppam, the damage to Medavakkam–Sholinganallur Road was initially caused by construction work of Metrorail. The cuts and damage worsened due to the gushing waters during the rain. “The road was cordoned off for a few days as water from upstream was flowing on it. The gashes look so dangerous and require urgent repairs,” he said.
The top layer of the Thoraipakkam –Pallavaram Radial Road has been damaged and in some places it has folded, said Sathya of Chunnambu Kolathur. “When it rains, since the sides have mud, it is very difficult to drive. This leads to accidents sometimes, especially if the motorists are new to this road,” she said.
Rajiv Gandhi Salai’s top layer is damaged in several locations including at Thoraipakkam and Kandanchavadi. “One does not know where the potholes start or end. The Thoraipakkam junction is in a very bad shape. The service lanes too need to be repaired. The road cuts made by Metrorail have not been restored properly,” said B. Kannan, a resident.
Highways Minister E. V. Velu said engineers had been directed to take up repair works on a war footing.
