The delay in giving a stretch of Porur-Kundrathur Main Road — between Kovur and Four Cross Junction — a coat of bitumen topping means more than just inconvenience to motorists. There are motorists who point out that the condition of the stretch coupled with recent rains, has been causing motorists to fall. Two months ago, blue metal was laid on the stretch. The stretch has to be given a coat of bitumen as part of the Porur-Kundrathur Main Road widening project taken up the State Highways Department.
As per the plan, two stretches of Porur-Kundrathur Main Road will be widened into a four-lane stretches, based on availability of space. One stretch is located between Four Cross Junction in Kundrathur and Kovur; and the other between Kovur and Gerugambakkam. The State Highways Department cites lack of bitumen stock for the delay in completing the road work. Each of these selected stretches will be around two kilometres long.
“Following the recent spells of rain, the stretch with blue metal has become slippery. With no proper street lights, it is difficult to drive on this stretch at night. Moreover, our vehicles get damaged while driving over the blue metal. Ambulance operators skip the portion of the stretch and make a detour of at least four kilometres to reach interior areas in Kundrathur and Poonamallee,” says S. Kandan, a resident of Kundrathur.
State Highways officials cite bitumen being out of stock as reason for the delay in completing the road work. “Steps will be taken to complete the work at the earliest,” say the officials.
