Driving in the dark is not easy for motorists taking the link road beneath the new flyover in Vysarpadi. The lamp posts are yet to be fitted with bulbs.
The link road connects motorists to many areas including Perambur, Vysarpadi, Tondiarpet, M.K.B. Nagar, Sembium, Villivakkam, Basin Bridge and Kodungaiyur and enable them to reach the central parts of the city. It also links the city with the Kolkata Highway (NH-05) via Wall Tax Road in Mint, making it a short cut for goods-carrying vehicle from Andhra Pradesh to reach the Chennai Port.
Many motorists still use the link road because only one portion of the flyover has been opened. “Ever since the flyover was opened in November, the link road beneath the flyover remains neglected. The stretch is full of potholes and lack illumination,” said K. Narayanan, a motorist from Perambur. The November-December rains of 2015 also took their toll on the road. The rains had damaged the stretch resulting in chipping of the bitumen layer. Further, the existing underground electric cables that provide power to a few street lights had also been damaged due to trenches being created to discharge rainwater after the floods.
The state highways replaced the existing damaged poles on the stretch with new poles, on the side of the new flyover. This would help the street lights from inundation and provide uninterrupted illumination even during monsoon. “The new bulbs on the poles will be installed soon,” said a state highways official.
