CHENNAI: After a 13-year-long fight, residents of Nesapakkam are happy as the new link road between Anna Main Road and Erikkarai Street has opened to the public. The 25m, 60-feet-wide link road comes as a relief to residents who had earlier been forced to use the 22-feet-wide Thiruvalluvar First Street to get to areas such as Ramapuram, Periyar Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Jai Balaji Nagar and Annai Sathya Nagar.
“Earlier, the traffic in Thiruvalluvar First Street would be so heavy that it would spill over to Erikkarai Street, and the entire stretch would be congested. Now, since most commuters opt for the new link road, traffic is always free-flowing,” said K Sukumaran, who has been running a mechanic shop at Erikkarai Street for the last 15 years.
The proposal to open a new link road was put forth by N Elumalai, secretary of the Indira Nagar Welfare Association, way back in 2004. “It was a long-drawn process since the land belonged to Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), as part of their sewage treatment plant. It had to be handed over to the Chennai corporation.”
Earlier, the compound wall of the sewage treatment plant ran across the land where the link road has currently been laid, leaving Thiruvalluvar First Street as the only option for commuters from Anna Main Road. “Now, traffic is divided between Thiruvalluvar First Street and the new link road. It is especially useful for commuters from Ramapuram,” says Sampathkumar K, who lives near Erikkarai Street. However, now that the road has been laid and opened, residents feel that at least two speedbreakers along the stretch are essential to prevent accidents.
“Since commuters come from both Thiruvalluvar First Street and the new link road which meet Erikkarai Street at the same point, there is scope for accidents at the junction,” said Chandrashekar A, a resident.
According to corporation officials, the 4700sqm land was obtained from CMWSSB for Rs 4.5 crore. In addition, Erikkarai park was given to CMWSSB as compensation.
Speedbreakers soon, assures official
A corporation official told Express that building the road wasn’t easy. “It was a long process but the road has been laid now and we have been receiving a lot of good feedback from the residents for it. We will also arrange for speedbreakers to be installed at the earliest,” he said.