For a week now, concrete slabs on the middle of New Avadi Road, near the traffic signal in Villivakkam, are being given a fresh coat of white paint. The temporary median has been a source of trouble for motorists.
Civic officials constructed a regular median only for a short distance from the signal. On the rest of the stretch, especially up to a Corporation park near the ICF signal, there is either a makeshift median or nothing at all.
Residents want a permanent median to be constructed on this section too.
“Construction of a permanent concrete median will prevent accidents on this stretch,” said S. Devi, a motorist from Anna Nagar.
A permanent median on the stretch, between Villivakkam signal and Corporation park, is all the more significant because much of it has been eaten into by encroachments, which include huts, workshops and old furniture outlets and therefore, the possibility of head-on collision is higher.
Also, there is constant movement of pedestrians. “The stretch between Villivakkam signal and the park also has few street lanes, which are at a considerably lower level than New Avadi Road. As a result, motorists from the streets are unable to see the vehicles that ply on New Avadi Road,” said K. Raghavan, a resident of Villivakkam.
Corporation officials said that the stretch between the two points is too narrow to construct a permanent median as it would further reduce the road space, making it difficult for MTC buses to take the stretch. “As was tried out earlier, small concrete slabs can be placed till encroachments along the stretch are removed,” said a Corporation official.
