Chennai Corporation to expand roads along bus routes to facilitate smooth flow of traffic

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation has rolled out a major initiative to expand the carriageway along all 488 bus routes across the city after several motorists raised complaints about the severe traffic congestion they were subjected to on a daily basis.

According to a report in The Hindu, the plan involves the removal of encroachments, end-to-end paving and a sketch to completely redesign the main roads. It may be noted that the initiative has already been carried out on four key roads in congested areas such as the Gandhi Irwin Bridge Road, Binny Road, CSIR Road and Pallavan Salai.

Officials noted that the end-to-end paving has increased the carriageway width by 60 centimetres on these stretches which would be a boon to all the commuters, especially motorcycle riders.

The plan to widen the carriageways by up to one metre in certain sections will provide a lot of relief from the traffic congestion reported in areas such as Manapakkam Main Road, M.G. Road and Dharmarajapuram.

Owing to the complaints, a high-level inspection was conducted along a congested stretch from Manapakkam Riverview Avenue Main Road to Kundrathur. As a result of this, the authorities have decided to a remove streetlights and other obstructions that are blocking the smooth flow of traffic on narrow roads.

Local civic body representatives continue to demand certain improvements that would benefit the public such as widening of the CTH Road near the Padi Flyover and the creation of a new link road along the Cooum connecting Pillayar Koil Street and Padi Kuppam Road to alleviate congestion around VR Mall.