As city sees a let-up in heavy rain, Highways Dept. begins restoration of battered roads

A break in the rain has sent the City Roads Division of the Highways Department into a tizzy. Teams of engineers and contractors are working late into the night to repair badly battered stretches, causing traffic to move at a snail’s pace.

Subbulakshmi, who commutes via Anna Salai daily, said though the portion of Anna Salai near the S.I.E.T. College bus stop had been patched up recently, it had come off. The portion near the Thevar statue is filled with dust and blue metal gravel, making it unsafe for two-wheeler riders. 

Sandeep, a resident of Pallavaram, said while the patchwork carried out on the down ramp of the Pallavaram grade separator was helpful to motorists, the one done near the Dargah Road subway could have been improved.

Roads including Anna Salai near Teynampet, Pallavaram-Thiruneermalai Road, GST Road near Irumbuliyur and Chromepet, Iyyappanthangal on Mount Poonamallee Road, Poonamallee-Kundrathur–Pallavaram Road, and Kattupakkam were repaired. 

A few battered stretches on Rajiv Gandhi Salai were also repaired. “Some of the sections, especially near SRP Tools junction and Sholinganallur junction, have potholes. There is no escaping them as a swerve will only land you in another hole,” said R. Narayanan, a regular commuter.

“Our aim is to ensure a smooth riding surface for motorists. The department warns motorists against driving fast on the newly re-laid stretches. Though we are diverting traffic at nights to take up repairs, the bitumen should be given an opportunity to set properly,” an official source said. 

Asked why potholes develop on roads, the official said that the binding capacity of bitumen reduces every year due to the process of oxidation.

From the third year onwards patches develop, which is why roads are re-laid once in every five years, he added.