Pedestrians and motorists say that the top layer of the road was milled a week ago, but re-laying work has not progressed since then. With Tank Bund Road being one of the busiest stretches in the area, the uneven surface has led to severe congestion during morning and evening peak hours, slowing vehicular movement and increasing the risk of accidents.

A Piriyan, a college student who uses the pedestrian walkway along the road daily, said more than 1,500 college students and several others rely on the walkway to commute. The milled surface triggers dust and makes driving difficult, particularly near the college entrance, he said, urging officials to relay at the earliest.

Another regular user, KS Aravind Janakiraman, noted that senior citizens found it difficult to navigate the uneven surface and often lost balance while driving. He urged the Chennai Corporation to expedite the stalled work and carry out patchwork in the subway, too.

According to the Chennai Corporation, the Bus Route Road department has identified 489 roads, including 97 bus route roads, for re-laying over a total length of 96.3 km, and work orders have been issued.

A civic body official noted that 586 road works were scheduled to be completed by March and that the remaining milling on Tank Bund Road would be taken up on Friday night, with re-laying to be completed before Monday.

Explaining the delay, the official said milling on busy bus route roads had to be done cautiously. While about 1,000 sq. metres could be milled during the designated night hours, up to 4,000 sq. metres could be re-laid in the same time frame, resulting in stretches being left temporarily uneven.

After DT Next raised queries on the road’s condition, one side of the road was relaid on Sunday.