Motorists lament craters on long stretches of roads in north Chennai

CHENNAI: With the city experiencing intense rainfall for the past 10 days, several roads in north Chennai have been severely damaged, causing hardship to both motorists and residents.

Residents have raised concerns about the battered stretches along Cochrane Basin Road, Manali Express Road, and Basin Bridge Road. Thousands of commuters use these key corridors daily to reach Old Washermenpet, Tondiarpet, Manali, Manali New Town, Sadayankuppam, Ernavoor, and Wimco Nagar.

Many sections of these stretched are riddled with potholes, posing risks of accidents, especially when it rains. H Jamal, a resident of Old Washermenpet, said, “For the past few months, the road near the IOC Bus Depot has been in a poor condition. It damages vehicle parts and often leads to accidents.”

Saravanan, a resident of Manali New Town, added, “The constant movement of tanker lorries has worsened several stretches along the Ennore Express Highway near the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited. Between MGR Nagar bus stop and the CPCL back gate, the road is badly damaged. Due to ongoing box culvert work and poor lighting, accidents occur frequently at night.”

Commuters using the Basin Bridge Road have also urged officials to carry out patchwork immediately, particularly near the Power House bus stop and opposite the ECI Church in SP Nagar, Tondiarpet.

An official of the State Highways Department said that wet-mix patching was being carried out to facilitate vehicle movement. “Culvert work is under progress behind CPCL on Ennore Express Highway. Once completed, the road will be re-laid soon,” the official said.

A Corporation official added that 896 patchworks had been completed and another 100 were in progress. “All road works will be completed shortly,” the official said.