No end to tale of tailbacks

DESPITE Paranur and Athur toll plazas generating more than ₹2,000 crore in revenue since 201415 to 2024-25, there is no end to the traffic congestion on the 100 km GST Road between Tambaram and Tindivanam.

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

The stretch has been witnessing heavy traffic during weekends and festive seasons, putting commuters to hardship.

During the return journey on weekends and holidays, vehicles are often jampacked from Tindivanam up to the Athur toll plazas, and again encounter severe bottlenecks on the stretch from Maduranthagam to Kilambakkam. Regular commuters and residents along the GST Road says the Perungalathur-Chengalpattu stretch has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, becoming densely populated. Consequently, many motorists cross signal junctions or use service roads in the opposite direction, obstructing vehicle movement between Maraimalai Nagar and Perungalathur Despite the issue being repeatedly highlighted in the media, the measures taken to address it remain inadequate. Residents allege the NHAI has failed to keep pace with the rapid development of the area or upgrade the national highway which experiences round-the-clock traffic. The proposed plans to widen the 80 km Chengalpattu-Tindivanam section into eight lanes and to construct an 18.3 km six-lane elevated corridor between Kilambakkam and Maraimalai Nagar still remain on paper.

A road trip by TNIE from Ambattur to Tindivanam on GST Road revealed that vehicles often face obstructions from Kilambakkam till Chettipunniyam due to pedestrian crossings and 'U' turns enroute for 18 kms for every two kilometres.