CHENNAI: The construction of the Tambaram Eastern Bypass (TEB) has made travel through the stretch unsafe, say residents of Selaiyur and its neighbouring areas. The reasons cited are poorly-illuminated and dug-up roads.
The TEB connects Rajakilpakkam with Peerkankaranai on the GST Road. The road has been laid till Selaiyur. Most of the residents blame lack of coordination between the different agencies involved in the project for their hardship. E Varathan, a resident of Madipakkam, said there are a lot of lapses. “Work is not happening at Mappedu Junction. Service road has not been properly completed for the entire stretch from Rajakilpakkam to Mappedu Junction. Road widening is also pending for a small stretch in Thiruvanchery,” he said.
Street lights are missing between Camp Road junction and Mappedu junction. “When we complained to the CM cell saying the stretch is risky for travel, the Highways Department replied that road works have been completed in the Selaiyur stretch. It said queries like service lane, street lights and center medians must be diverted to the divisional office,” said Dayanand Krishnan, a resident. He further added, “All the components in road works should be undertaken by a single agency.
There is a lot of confusion and delay in execution.” The TEB, once completed, will ease traffic in Perungalathur and reduce travel time to Southern districts. It is a boon for those living in South Chennai including Velachery, Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Thiruvanmiyur and Adyar among others, as they can directly reach the bypass via Medavakkam. Now, since these vehicles pass through Perungalathur, traffic jams have become inevitable.
The bypass for Tambaram was proposed in the CMDA first Master Plan 1979 to help vehicles from outside the city avoid the railway line and the Irumbuliyur junction, infamous for accidents then. The State government sanctioned `1 crore as a token amount for land acquisition in 2004 for the 9.3-km road that runs from Peerkankaranai on the GST Road and ends at Rajakilpakkam on the Velachery-Tambaram Road. However, tackling the encroachments and issues in land acquisition have delayed project.