Chennai Citizen Connect: Concrete blocks for drain work on MTH Road irk commuters

CHENNAI: The concrete blocks placed on the Madras-Tiruvallur High (MTH) Road, in the proximity of the barricade placed for Metro Rail phase II works, has landed motorists in a bottleneck situation, disrupting the traffic flow for the past several days.

In addition, the residents and commuters have alleged improper traffic flow management at the stretch mentioned above, forcing motorists to wait for a long time and pedestrians to squeeze past the obstruction amid high vehicular movement.

Speaking to DT Next, a resident of MTH Road said, “During the intense rain caused by cyclone Fengal, concrete barricades were placed near one of the signals of MTH Road, perhaps to drain rainwater. However, the blocks have not been removed yet. This has created a bottleneck at the crucial stretch.”

Another resident explained further that commuters are forced to take a longer U-turn as the signal near Tamil Nadu Housing Board has been shut for a couple of days. “Though the U-turn is not very far, driving at the stretch will be a lot easier if the Chennai Corporation removes the obstruction,” the resident added.

When DT Next enquired about the reason for placing concrete blocks in the middle of the MTH Road, it was found that Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had placed the obstruction as works to clear a blocked drain were under way after the cyclone. An official said that the concrete barricades will be removed in a couple of days.

A CMRL official explained that the signal near Tamil Nadu Housing Board has been blocked as part of underground Metro Rail construction at the location. He further added that this alteration is temporary and the signal will be reopened after the work is completed.