Lack of proper arrangements to regulate traffic in view of the ongoing elevated corridor work on the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) at the Ambur town near Tirupattur has irked road-users and pedestrians alike.
Those who use the road say that the traffic congestion at the narrow tri-junction near the Rajiv Gandhi statue in Ambur town had become a norm since the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) took up the elevated corridor work last year. “In the evening, no traffic police personnel can be spotted at the junction. Road-users have to navigate the stretch on their own, and find a way to cross the junction,” said S. Kavitha, a motorist.
At present, the elevated corridor work is in progress at the centre of the stretch, and has narrowed the width of the road. There are neither footpaths nor pedestrian crossings. “During school hours, we find it difficult to cross the junction. Women and the elderly find it risky to cross the junction due to lack of traffic regulation,” said Mohammed Ilyas, a trader.
‘Defunct signal’
The Rajiv Gandhi junction on the stretch is significant as many public utilities such as bus terminus, government hospitals, banks, schools, and taluk offices are located on the sides of this stretch. Residents from interior areas have to cross this place to access them. However, only a few personnel regulate the traffic here, that too manually, as the existing signal is defunct, say motorists.
Besides, according to police reports, 10-12 accidents have occurred on the stretch since January this year. Originally sanctioned in 2011, the elevated corridor is being built at a cost of ₹135 crore between the Rajiv Gandhi statue and the ORR Theatre in Ambur town. It will be 1,450-metre long and 11-metre wide (main carriageway) with a median. Eight-metre-wide service roads will be built to facilitate free movement of two-wheelers and cars.
