Vehicles caught in the heavy traffic on GST Road in Chrompet on Saturday as tens of hundreds of people head to their native. (Photo | Ashwin Prasath)
CHENNAI: Despite Paranur and Athur toll plazas generating more than Rs 2,000 crore in revenue since 2014-15 to 2024-25, there is no end to the traffic congestion on the 100 km GST Road between Tambaram and Tindivanam. The stretch has been witnessing heavy traffic during weekends and festive seasons, putting commuters to hardship.
During the return journey on weekends and holidays, vehicles are often jam-packed from Tindivanam up to the Athur toll plazas, and again encounter severe bottlenecks on the stretch from Maduranthagam to Kilambakkam. Regular commuters and residents along the GST Road says the Perungalathur-Chengalpattu stretch has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, becoming densely populated. Consequently, many motorists cross signal junctions or use service roads in the opposite direction, obstructing vehicle movement between Maraimalai Nagar and Perungalathur.
Despite the issue being repeatedly highlighted in the media, the measures taken to address it remain inadequate. Residents allege the NHAI has failed to keep pace with the rapid development of the area or upgrade the national highway, which experiences round-the-clock traffic. The proposed plans to widen the 80 km Chengalpattu-Tindivanam section into eight lanes and to construct an 18.3 km six-lane elevated corridor between Kilambakkam and Maraimalai Nagar still remain on paper.
A road trip by TNIE from Ambattur to Tindivanam on GST Road revealed that vehicles often face obstructions from Kilambakkam till Chettipunniyam due to pedestrian crossings and ‘U’ turns enroute for 18 kms for every two kilometres.
Similarly, another major traffic bottleneck occurs near Paranur railway station, where vehicles queue up for nearly two to three kilometres in both directions. Though the NHAI has completed the construction of a four-lane Road Over Bridge, the railway portion – about 100 metres – remains unfinished. As a result, vehicles coming from Maraimalai Nagar on the four-lane stretch are forced to merge into a two-lane diversion near Paranur, causing severe congestion.
Further, the sudden narrowing of the carriageway to two lanes – especially near the Palar river bridge at Mamandur contributes significantly to the traffic buildup. Further ahead, the 14 km section from Pukkathurai to Maduranthagam emerges as a major choke point. The vehicles take more than 70 to 80 minutes to cover the 14-km stretch between Pukkathurai and Maduranthakam in either direction.
The 100-km Tambaram -Tindivanam section of the NH currently has eight lanes between Perungalathur and Chettipunniyam, but narrows to four lanes up to Tindivanam. Although certain portions have been widened to six lanes, they are insufficient to handle the growing vehicular volume, as this route serves as the primary corridor to Tiruchy, Madurai, Tirunelveli, and other southern districts.
To address the issues, the NHAI has begun the construction of two four-lane vehicular underpasses at Padalam and Pukkathurai Koot Road, while another is proposed at the Maduranthagam section. Around Rs 30 crore has been earmarked for the project and the two underpasses planned to be opened by December this year. In addition, a flyover at the Tindivanam junction is also planned to ease congestion.
An NHAI official told TNIE that at Maduranthagam, locals have been using service roads in the opposite direction, obstructing vehicle flow and worsening congestion. “To prevent this, we have widened the service lane from 5 to 8 metres and raised its height to prevent vehicles from merging with the main carriageway,” the official said.
The official further added work on the elevated corridor between Kilambakkam and Maraimalai Nagar will begin once the alignment of the Airport-KCBT Metro line is finalised by the state government. “A Detailed Project Report is also being prepared for six- or eight-laning the Chengalpattu-Tindivanam stretch of the highway,” added the official.
Meanwhile, officials from the Chennai railway division have remained tight-lipped about the delay in completing the ROB portion near Paranur station.
A Raviraman, a resident of Porur, said, “It takes nearly three to four hours to cover the 60 km from Maduranthagam to Tambaram, of which 60 to 90 minutes are spent on just the 14 km stretch between Maduranthagam and Pukkathurai. Despite knowing this, NHAI’s response has been very poor. The highway should be fully widened to eight lanes up to Tiruchy.”
Another commuter, I Maniraj of Pukkathurai, said, “Places like Pukkathurai, Padalam, Maduranthagam, and Tindivanam have witnessed frequent accidents over the years. It was only after more than 200 deaths that NHAI began work on the underpasses.”
The Tambaram-Chengalpattu section of the GST Road handles 80,000 to 90,000 passenger car units per day, while the Paranur and Athur toll plazas have together collected Rs 1,741 crore in toll revenue between 2014-15 and 2023-24, according to Union government data tabled in the Parliament in January this year. The annual toll collection for 2024-25 stands over Rs 300 crore.
