An idea from ancient seafaring that has infiltrated the workaday conversations of land lubbers is “walking the plank”. Forget for a moment its connotation in the modern context and just visualise the act of walking the plank itself, of walking gingerly on an extremely narrow wooden plank that extends into the sea. Superimpose that image on ECR Link Road — to be precise, on two sections of that road impacted now by Metro Rail and CMWSSB work.
Take section one, which stretches from the Sholinganallur junction to the discontinued tollgate.
Metro Rail boards run down the spine of this section. Except for the space in the middle taken up by the Metro Rail roads, the two carriageways are intact. However, the carriageway for vehicles moving towards Akkarai from Sholinganallur junction is narrower than the other. This carriageway was subjected to digging on account of a massive CMWSSB pipeline work. With the work having been completed, the massive trench has been closed with earth and made available for vehicular traffic.
On section of ECR Link Road, vehicular traffic moving in opposite directions is routed through the same carriageway as the other carriageway is closed for CMWSSB work. The carriageway, now made busier, can be made wider by relaying the section of it that had earlier been opened up for CMWSSB work and now covered with earth. Photos: Prince Frederick | Photo Credit: PRINCE FREDERICK
However, as is the usual tendency of motorists, they gravitate towards the strip with the bitumen top and avoid this earthen strip when they can. The result is that the used (and useable) section is as narrow as the plank from ancient seafaring. To ease traffic movement on this carriageway, the earthen strip needs to be relaid soon.
On section number two, which stretches from the ECR Link Road-TNHB Road junction to the discontinued tollgate, vehicular traffic moving both ways is routed through one carriageway. The other carriageway is closed on account of ongoing CMWSSB work. On what is now the functional carriageway, CMWSSB work was completed sometime ago, and the trench filled up with earth. This earthen strip also needs to be relaid to ensure motorists have greater latitude and traffic snarls are avoided during rush hour.
