COIMBATORE: Weekend traffic in the heart of Coimbatore city turned nightmarish for motorists and residents as haphazard road digging works brought Ram Nagar to a near standstill on Saturday. The lack of prior traffic diversion alerts by the authorities only worsened the situation.
Key roads witnessed severe gridlock throughout the day as multiple stretches in the area were dug up simultaneously by the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) personnel.
The Brooke Bond Road, Shastri Road, Kikani Junction, and the railway underpass, all of which serve as major access points to Ram Nagar were choked with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Motorists were left stranded for over 30 minutes in stretches that typically take five minutes to cross.
Local residents expressed frustration over the lack of coordination and planning. "It is not that we are against development works. But digging up several roads without a plan or information has caused us tremendous inconvenience," said K Bhuvana, a resident of Ram Nagar.
With most of the roads in the locality rendered inaccessible or blocked, even emergency vehicles reportedly found it difficult to navigate through the congestion. Several shopkeepers also noted a sharp dip in customer footfall due to the traffic chaos. Citizens urged the civic body to expedite the pipeline installation works and implement better traffic diversion strategies.
When enquired about it, CCMC officials said the works will be completed in the next few days and the damaged road will be restored soon.