CHENNAI: Despite being a tolled highway, the recent monsoon has turned commuting on the Poonamallee-Karaipettai (Kancheepuram) stretch of the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway into a nightmare for motorists, as it (stretch) is riddled with potholes every few hundred metres causing frequent bike-skidding.
Commuters heading towards Vellore, Ambur, and Bengaluru said their travel woes have worsened following the rains, with bumper-to-bumper traffic for more than a kilometre near every bridge and flyover construction site. According to travellers, it takes nearly two hours to cover the 34 km from Karaipettai to Sriperumbudur.
The primary reason, they added, is the poor maintenance of service roads between Sriperumbudur and Karaipettai which are full of potholes and sludge, posing a serious risk to motorists. The work on 17 flyovers and bridges along the 34-km stretch has been progressing at a snail’s pace under the ongoing six-laning project. Motorists complained that traffic is diverted to damaged service roads every two kilometres due to the construction activity.
“The service roads are completely battered and waterlogged, making them dangerous, especially for two-wheeler riders between Sunguvarchathiram and Poonamallee,” said R Kannan, a commuter. Another commuter, S Rajan of Maduravoyal, added, “There’s hardly a proper stretch of road even for 100 metres in several places.
Traffic jams occur every two kilometres near construction zones. Despite being a tolled highway, the maintenance is pathetic.” The six-laning of the 34-km Sriperumbudur-Karaipettai stretch, launched in 2019, has been delayed due to issues like shortage of soil, materials, and other logistical challenges.
So far, widening work has been completed only for about 16 km. An NHAI official said the stalled works were resumed earlier this year after a new contractor was appointed in January to complete the remaining 18 km at a cost of Rs 411.16 crore. “Necessary patchwork will be taken up,” the official added.
The total toll revenue collected between 2013-14 and 2023-24 amounts to Rs 706.81 crore at Sriperumbudur (Nemili) and Rs 581.94 crore at Walajah (Chenna Samudram) toll plazas, accroding to the data submitted in Parliament.