Potholes, lack of adequate lighting and an open drain make a deadly combination on a service lane under Chennai Bypass in Nolambur.
The Chennai Bypass provides easy access to Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts and it links the industrial belts of Sriperambadur and Oragadam with GNT Road, via Poonamallee High (PH) Road. Every day, hundreds of motorists from Ambattur, Ayapakkam, Mannurpet, Thirumullavoyal, J.J. Nagar and Korattur use the service lane to reach various parts of the city, avoiding CTH Road.
Residents of Mogappair East, Ambattur, Korattur, Nolambur and Anna Nagar West take the service lane to reach Maduravoyal, Porur and Tambaram.
Many container lorries and goods-laden vehicles from the southern parts of the city take the service lane to reach industrial units in Ambattur and Pattaravakkam.
“During rush hour, especially in the evening, the service lane is choked with traffic as vehicles move at a snail’s pace due to potholes.
“There have been cases of motorists falling into the open drain and sustaining minor injuries,” says S. Vasanthakumar, a resident of Maduravoyal.
Further, motorists coming from Third Main Road, which is located below the Bypass, also take a ‘U’ turn at the intersection of the service lane and the Third Main Road, putting other motorists at risk of injury. Currently, only lights from a petrol pump along the service lane illuminate the stretch, and motorists complain that most of the potholes are not visible.
They want the road to be re-laid at the earliest. “Steps will be taken soon to repair the damaged portion of the lane,” says a Corporation official.
