Work to repair the battered stretches of Jawaharlal Nehru Salai will begin in two or three days.
Inspecting the stretch near Ekkaduthangal bridge on Monday, Highways Minister Vellakoil M.P. Saminathan instructed the officials to accelerate the pace of the project worth Rs.80 lakh, as the busy road has become heavily congested following the launch of metro rail project.
The stretch from Koyambedu to Guindy, which was battered, will be improved by the Highways Department. The Minister, accompanied by Mayor M. Subramanian, also reviewed the road under the bridge, which gets choked with traffic during rush hour.
It was decided to widen the road under the bridge and also construct hand rails. Moreover, the encroachments along the stretch were also decided to be removed for road widening.
Following the launch of metro rail project in the stretch between Ambal Nagar and Ashok Nagar recently, the number of motorists using the road under the bridge has increased. Pedestrians have a hard time, as every inch of road space is occupied by vehicles.
Motorists say it now takes nearly half an hour to cross the nearly three-km stretch between Guindy industrial estate and Ashok Pillar.
R.Bhuvana, a resident of Balaji Nagar, said intersections near Kalaimagal Nagar and Ekkaduthangal have been closed owing to the metro rail project work.
Motorists bound to Guindy take the road under the bridge and this has led to the congestion.
