Poor condition of service roads gives motorists the jitters in Tiruchi

A view of of the service road along the Kondayampettai underbridge on Tiruchi - Chennai national highways in Tiruchi on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY

The poor condition of service roads along Kondayampettai underpass and a few other stretches on Tiruchi-Chennai Bypass Road has been posing a threat to road users.

The service lanes on either side of the underpass have been in a pathetic condition for long as they are used by heavy vehicles, including sand lorries and tanker lorries, which frequent the spot for filling drinking water from borewells situated close to the Cauvery river banks.

“Potholes and eroded bitumen with protruding boulders at a few places make for a dangerous drive on these stretches, especially for two-wheeler riders, between the underpass and Kollidam Road intersection on the Cauvery banks,” says G. Gopal, a commuter.

“This stretch has been in a bad condition for a long time. The road surface at bell mouth at Kallanai Road intersection and the stretch leading to the Cauvery river bridge makes for a jittery ride,” observes N. Saravanan, a road safety activist.

The underpass at Kondayampettai was sanctioned in 2015 after a public outcry over a spate of accidents at the spot and a spot inspection by former Union Minister of State Pon. Radhakrishnan. Accidents became frequent after the bypass road was made a four-lane highway by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as hundreds of vehicles, including lorries and buses, cross the highway at the intersection from either side. The underpass was opened for traffic towards the end of 2021.

Mr. Saravanan points out that a few other stretches of the service roads along the Bypass Road are in poor condition too. The old Cauvery bridge on Tiruchi-Chennai section, the service roads around the Ariyamangalam flyover and the stretch leading from Sanjeevi Nagar intersection to Odathurai Road need to be repaired and strengthened immediately, road users demand.

Motorists point out that the service roads attract heavy traffic, as much as the main carriageways of the highway, right through the day and, hence, it is important to properly maintain them. Repairs done in patches do not last long and the roads have to be completed and fully re-laid, they contend.

Mr. Saravanan says NHAI notifies telephone numbers of officials with whom complaints of poor road condition can be lodged. “Presently, we do not know where to lodge the complaints and we are not able to reach the officials over the landline numbers given on NHAI website,” he said.

When contacted, a senior official of NHAI assured that patch works would be carried out wherever required on the service roads. The parapet of the road over bridge over Kollidam River, damaged in a recent accident, would be repaired within the next few days, he said.