CHENNAI: As schools across Tamil Nadu reopened on Monday, following the summer vacation, Chennai and its suburbs witnessed severe traffic congestion, especially along the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway and key junctions in Tambaram, as thousands of residents returned from their hometowns.
The traffic congestion began on Sunday evening, as families who had travelled to southern districts during the vacation started heading back to the city.
Adding to the vehicular load were participants returning from the DMK general meeting held in Madurai.
This massive movement of vehicles—cars, vans, and buses—triggered heavy traffic jams from Sunday evening, with the situation continuing into early Monday morning.
One of the worst-hit areas was the Acharapakkam toll plaza near Chengalpattu, where vehicles moved at a snail's pace.
Motorists reported hours-long delays as traffic stretched for kilometers along the highway.
While areas like the Paranur toll booth, Singaperumal Koil, Kelambakkam, and Perungalathur are traffic hotspots, additional police and home guards were deployed this time to manage the situation.
Traffic was successfully diverted via alternative routes such as the Singaperumal Koil–Oragadam Road, Vandalur–Minjur Outer Ring road, and Vandalur–Walajabad road, preventing further escalation in these areas.
However, Tambaram faced a different kind of gridlock. With schools reopening, families from more than a hundred nearby villages descended on the area to shop for school supplies including uniforms, bags, shoes, water bottles, and stationery. Vehicles were parked along the roadsides, further reducing the available space for moving traffic.
Express train passengers arriving at Tambaram and trying to switch to local buses or other modes of transport added.
Key roads such as GST Road, Shanmugam Road, and Rajaji Road experienced severe traffic jams.