Two-way traffic on Pallavaram flyover likely

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Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

22.01.2022

Chennai: The state highways department and the traffic police are in talks to discuss the possibilities of introducing a two-way traffic system along the Pallavaram flyover.IKarunanithi, MLA for Pallavaram, said that an inter-departmental inspection would be held soon to ensure that the new traffic pattern does not cause any traffic congestion or accidents.

Ever since the 1. 5-kilometre-long flyover w as thrown open for the public in September 2020, residents in areas along Grand Southern Trunk (GST) have been demanding that twoway traffic be allowed on the stretch. Currently, motorists are allowed to travel only in one direction, from Tambaram towards Chennai International Airport. “It is wide enough to support twoway traffic. But for some unexplained re ason, the government has restricted it to unidirectional flyover. This has defeated the very purpose of constructing a flyover at this location,” said V Santhanam, a resident-a

ctivist from Chromepet.

During the evening peak hours, thousands of vehicles leave the city. But they

are forced to use the road below the flyover. As a result, the entire str etch becomes congested, and vehicles move at a snail’s pace. Traffic gets worse on Fridays when the weekly market is organised.

Therefore, it will be good if the government can allow at least cars, minivans and two-wheelers to use the flyover while leaving Chennai. This will reduce the burden on the road underneath the flyover, Santhanam said.

Karunanithi, the MLA for Pallavaram, said that he had already initiated talks among various state g overnment agencies. “Soon, it will be converted into a bi-directional flyover,” he said.

Besides this, efforts are on to widen the roads underneath the flyover and install another traffic signal so that vehicles to and fro Pammal and Kundrathur need not take a detour. This signal will make pedestrian movement also easie r, he said. The state highways department, which constructed the flyover at ₹82 crore, will remove encroachments along the stretch in order to widen it. “It will be converted into a three-lane road (11 metres wide) so that there are no traffic jams,” said Jayanthi, a divisional engineer.