Rain causes potholes on highway, motorists irked

Last week’s rain has caused potholes on the Maduravoyal-Walajapet section of the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway, forcing motorists to slow down considerably.

V. Joseph, of Besant Nagar, who drove down to Hosur, said it took him seven hours to reach the destination because of the condition of the road. “It kept raining, and so there was so much water in the potholes. We didn’t know how deep they were and therefore we kept braking,” he said.

R. Selvaraj, a seven-axle vehicle driver, said the road was in a bad condition for a long time. “The road is being widened up to Ranipet, which means vehicles cannot get off the main carriageway to avoid the potholes. The rain has made it only worse,” he said.

Toll money

K. Raman, a Mylapore resident, who takes the road frequently, said a huge amount of money was being collected in the name of toll, but the road had not been maintained in the last 10 years.

An official of the National Highways Authority of India, which manages the road, said potholes had developed in last week’s rain.

“Repairs were undertaken on two days, but they had to be stopped because of heavy rain. All the pothole repair works will be completed if we have three clear rain-free days,” he said.