With the onset of the monsoon, waterlogging resulted in traffic congestion in many parts of the city.
Over the past two days, people were stuck in traffic in areas such as Kamaraj Salai, near Pantheon Road in Egmore, General Patters Road, Chetpet, Velachery Main Road and Cathedral Road.
There was no escape for motorists travelling on the arterial Poonamallee High Road, Flowers Road, Millers Road, Santhome High Road, and Velachery Main Road that were clogged all day.
As many subways, including Gengu Reddy subway, were closed, motorists heading to Anna Salai had to take a circuitous route.
Metro Rail work which cordoned off several parts of Anna Salai and Poonamallee High Road added to the traffic jams and confusion.
In view of traffic snarls, the traffic police said they implemented a number of measures to ensure smooth vehicular flow.
However, traffic signals were the worst affected this season. A senior traffic officer said, “Traffic signals often malfunction when there is water seepage. We had a standby maintenance team to help repair the signals”.
The maintenance personnel go on daily rounds to identify problematic traffic signals. In many areas, when there was heavy traffic flow, the signals were either operated manually or switched off, with policemen manning the junctions, said the officer.
Additional personnel were deployed at junctions to help direct traffic. “There were close to 7,000 police personnel on the roads, covering all areas for the past two days,” he said.
Officials from Chennai Metro Rail Limited and the Chennai Corporation were working with police officers to identify and ease traffic in waterlogged areas, said an official.
Traffic snarls and severe waterlogging can be reported to police helpline: 100.
