VILLUPURAM/CUDDALORE: With Deepavali season wrapping up, thousands of vehicles returned to Chennai from various southern districts of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, leading to heavy traffic flow at Vikravandi and Ulundurpet toll gates on the Chennai-Tiruchy highway.
This year, an unprecedented number of around 92,000 vehicles passed through toll plazas without disruption, facilitated by the nine lanes opened at Vikravandi toll plaza to manage traffic flow. The return flow of traffic from the festival commenced on Friday, gradually increasing over the past two days. The volume peaked on Sunday, with a significant increase in vehicles returning to Chennai, leading to a noticeable queue on the highways.
To ensure smooth movement and manage traffic, a team of 200 personnel, under the directive of Villupuram SP Deepak Siwach, along with Vikravandi DSP Nandakumar guided traffic flow at Vikravandi plaza.
Official sources said that 22,000 vehicles crossed the toll plaza on Friday, 33,000 on Saturday and by Sunday evening, 40,000 vehicles were recorded returning to Chennai. Increased vehicle movement on the Chennai-Tiruchy highway has also affected traffic at Veppur in Cuddalore district on Sunday evening.The NHAI had begun construction of an overhead bridge at Veppur junction in 2019, with allocated fund of Rs 8.46 crore.
However, progress slowed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors, leading to the project’s suspension a few years ago. With construction incomplete, vehicles now use the service road space, resulting in frequent congestion.
On Sunday, a high volume of vehicles moved toward Chennai. Due to the narrow passage, which accommodates only two vehicles to pass on each side, vehicles moved slowly throughout the evening.