Taking free lefts into and from Thoraipakkam-Pallavaram Radial Road at the Thoraipakkam junction will become easier for motorists with the highways department planning to improve the junction soon.
Sources in the department said that estimates have been drawn up for the work at a cost of Rs. 1.50 crore. Around 80,000 vehicles use the road daily.
B. Kannan, a resident of Thoraipakkam who takes the road to work, said taking the free left into the road was a not very comfortable process.
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“The two traffic islands are damaged and the road surface is uneven. A few meters after the turn, there is an autorickshaw stand and after that there is a drain. A lot of pedestrians also cross at the median. Some kind of pedestrian facility, like a footover bridge, could be installed,” he said.
Sources in the Highways said the junction would be redesigned according to Indian Road Congress standards, with three traffic islands, better signage and road markings, and footpaths for pedestrians, among other things.
Since water from Rajiv Gandhi Salai stagnates on the radial road, a separate proposal for a stormwater drain is also being prepared, the source said.
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On the demand for a footover bridge, the sources said it was under active consideration and is likely to be taken up as part of another project.