CHENNAI: Traffic was affected on the GST Road for more than four hours on Thursday morning after a heavy goods lorry suffered a tyre burst and broke down on the Irumbuliyur flyover.

On Thursday morning, a lorry travelling from Chengalpattu towards Tambaram came to a halt on the Irumbuliyur flyover after one of its tyres burst. The stalled vehicle blocked traffic on GST Road, leading to long queues.

The stretch from Maraimalai Nagar through Vandalur, Perungalathur, Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Meenambakkam and Guindy, which witnesses heavy traffic, was hit.

Students heading to educational institutions and office-goers were among the worst affected. Cars, buses, autorickshaws and even two-wheelers were caught in the gridlock, with many unable to move for long periods.

Commuters claimed that it took more than an hour to cover the nearly two-kilometre stretch between Perungalathur and Irumbuliyur.

Tambaram traffic police rushed to the spot and attempted to regulate traffic. However, since the lorry had broken down at a crucial point on the flyover, restoring normal traffic proved difficult. Officers from Tambaram and Peerkankaranai police stations later joined the operation to remove the vehicle. Traffic was gradually restored after the damaged lorry was cleared.