Motorists, vendors hit rough patch on OMR-ECR link road

Time of India

24-05-2025

Chennai: 'Inconvenience today for a better tomorrow' reads the message on barricades erected by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on the OMR-ECR link road leading to Sholinganallur junction.
However, the magnitude of inconvenience caused is far too much to tolerate, say road-users and shopkeepers along the 900m stretch of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai.
Work on CMRL phase-2 corridor 3 worsened problems by reducing road width and adding to dirt and dust. "One has to search for the road amid all the rubble and stones and dust. The road level dipped owing to construction work. Last week, an elderly man fell off his bike on the slippery stretch and injured himself.
No one took action, not even to lay a temporary road," said Saravanan, who owns a shop on the stretch.
Most shopkeepers, who earlier used to display products outside their shops, now don't. "Dust accumulates quickly. Vehicles are bound to get dirty if parked outside even for a few minutes," said a resident of the area.
The state of the road worsens as one progresses towards the Sholinganallur signal. Construction debris and material spill on the road, making the commute difficult.
Asked why some portions did not have barricades, the contractor of a private firm in charge of the metro work on the stretch said, "Barricades can only be erected when there is a stable road. Unfortunately, to lay the road, macro drainage work [to facilitate water flow and prevent flooding] has to be completed, and that rests with the Highways.
We have also been pressing for laying a temporary road on the stretch."
Contractor Murugan, in charge of the roadwork, said macro drainage work to facilitate easy flow of floodwater and drainage was completed and only the road-laying work remained.
One look at the stretch, however, tells a different story. Residents rue that the pitiable plight continued for more than three months.
When contacted, Ananthraj, ADE, city roads, highways department, said steps would be taken to lay a road within a week. "Debris will be cleared, and steps will be taken to level the road," he added.
The 45km corridor 3 of CMRL Phase 2 project, under construction, extends from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot.