College bus mishap on Pallavaram flyover brings GST road to a halt, delays flights

CHENNAI: Traffic was choked on the GST Road on Friday morning after a private college bus met with an accident on the Pallavaram flyover, blocking traffic for more than two and a half hours. Thousands of commuters, including air passengers, were stranded in the congestion that was over three kilometres.

A private college bus was travelling at speed from the city towards Tambaram when a two-wheeler suddenly cut across its path. In an attempt to avoid hitting the bike, the driver made a sharp turn, lost control, and the vehicle rammed into the iron barricades placed at the flyover’s median.

As a result, traffic movement on both sides of the flyover came to a standstill. Vehicles piled up along Pallavaram, Chromepet, and Pammal stretches of GST Road, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. Several air passengers heading to Chennai International Airport were stranded and reached the terminals late. This led to the delay of more than ten flights, including the flights to Kuala Lumpur, Muscat, and Colombo,  at the Chennai airport for up to 30 minutes.

Traffic police rushed to the spot and immediately diverted vehicles. The Pallavaram flyover was temporarily converted into a one-way to allow traffic from Tambaram towards the airport. Later, efforts were taken to tow the bus and remove the damaged barricades. The situation was brought under control after 10 am, and traffic flow became normal.