Residents of Chennai's Nanganallur area have finally received a major infrastructure boost with the sanction of a new, direct road connecting their suburb to the crucial Pazhavanthangal subway. The project, valued at Rs 29.57 crore, is designed to alleviate severe traffic congestion and enhance commuter safety in the southern part of the city.
A Long-Awaited Solution for a Critical Bottleneck
For years, the lack of a direct road link from Nanganallur to the Pazhavanthangal subway has created a significant traffic nightmare. This subway is a vital access point connecting to the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road and serves as a gateway for residents of several suburbs including Vanuvampet, Ullagaram, Moovarasampet, and Madipakkam. The absence of a proper road forced a large volume of traffic, especially during peak hours, to converge chaotically at the existing points, overwhelming the decades-old infrastructure.
The Pazhavanthangal subway, built back in 1997, has never been upgraded despite a massive surge in vehicular demand over the years. It currently operates at full capacity, with a unique design flaw that prevents cars from turning left and exiting smoothly. Unlike other subways in Chennai that allow for better traffic dispersion, this one funnels vehicles into a constrained space, leading to daily gridlocks.
Risky Commutes and a Community's Struggle
The congestion has had dangerous consequences. To bypass the snarls, many motorists have resorted to risky wrong-way driving, particularly around Vembuli Amman Koil Street, to access College Road. This illegal practice has created a hazardous environment for pedestrians, schoolchildren, and other road users, with near-misses being a common occurrence.
Local residents have campaigned for this connectivity solution for a long time. Their earlier representations to authorities were often dismissed as unfeasible or lacking funding. The current sanction, therefore, marks a hard-won victory and a major breakthrough for the community. The project is expected to benefit a wide cross-section, including daily commuters, schoolchildren, and senior citizens, by providing a safer and more efficient travel route.
Project Progress and Land Acquisition
The path to construction has been smoothed by significant cooperation from the local community. The new road alignment affects 17 residential buildings. In a positive development, owners of 14 of these buildings have already provided no-objection certificates (NOCs). This high level of consensus is expected to drastically reduce hurdles and speed up the land acquisition process, bringing the project closer to reality.
The new direct road promises to transform the daily commute for thousands. By providing a dedicated and streamlined connection to the Pazhavanthangal subway, it aims to decongest the existing chaotic junctions, eliminate the need for dangerous traffic violations, and ultimately create a more commuter-friendly and safer transit corridor for this growing part of Chennai.
