Frequent traffic snarls and accidents on the narrow service road near G. Corner junction along the Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway have raised safety concerns among road users.
The two-way service lane, which serves as the access route for the Golden Rock area from the TVS Tollgate Junction, is narrow and dangerous to navigate. With all types of vehicles- auto rickshaws, cars, buses, trucks, two-wheelers and heavy vehicles attempting to criss-cross at the junction, the stretch has turned into an accident-prone zone.
Vehicles, especially two-wheelers, tend to collide against one another while trying to overtake to drive forward on their intended roads. “Chaotic traffic conditions prevail at the junction due to criss-crossing vehicles and wrong-side driving. Accidents have become frequent at this spot and often motorists become the victims,” said M. Karthikeyan, a road user.
In one such incident that happened on Sunday, a 33-year-old man, who was driving a two-wheeler on the service lane, lost control and rammed into a bus approaching from the opposite direction. He died while his brother, who was riding a pillion, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment. In the wake of the incident, the traffic police have placed metal barricades on the stretch at regular intervals to avert colliding of the vehicles.
If not for the service lane, the vehicles proceeding from TVS Tollgate to reach Ponmalai have to take a detour on the highway for about two kilometres to go up to Palpannai, take a U-turn and return to enter Ponmalai from the left.
Ever since the bypass was widened into a four-lane highway, residents and activists have been urging the authorities to build a vehicular underpass across the highway at G. Corner to provide direct access to Ponmalai.
“An alternative route is the need of the hour, and the authorities should explore other possibilities to construct a subway. Measures should be initiated to prevent such untoward incidents in future,” said H. Ghouse Baig, an activist.
The NHAI, to eliminate black spots on the highway near the G. Corner junction, has been considering a vehicular overpass.
When contacted, a senior traffic official stated they would study the issue and take necessary steps to regulate traffic at the junction. Police personnel had been deployed at the stretch, he added.
