Traffic crawls on roads to Chennai as people return after I-Day weekend

CHENNAI: As the extended three-day weekend drew to a close, there was heavy vehicular movement and bottlenecks at multiple points as hundreds of residents who had travelled to their hometown or tourist destinations outside Chennai began returning on Sunday evening. Key stretches that witnessed congestion included Perungalathur near Tambaram, and Padalam and Pukkathurai close to Chengalpattu. Intermittent rainfall in and around Tambaram added to the traffic woes. According to sources, traffic slowed considerably near the Perungalathur flyover as a large number of vehicles attempted to merge onto the elevated stretch at the same time. To manage the volume and prevent long pileups, traffic police personnel stationed along the route regulated the flow of vehicles, the source added. Further down, Padalam and Pukkathurai witnessed sluggish movement for nearly two kilometres owing to the ongoing construction work being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The travel time to cross the section, which is usually quick, has now increased by an additional 5-10 minutes, another source pointed out. Adding to the heavy vehicle inflow were not just private cars, but also MTC and private buses. As a result, roads adjoining major bus stands and railway stations experienced intermittent jams during the evening peak hours when traffic volume picked up further. The vicinity of Perungalathur bus stop, Chengalpattu railway station, and Urapakkam-Tambaram stretch were among the worst-affected. Officials from the Chengalpattu traffic police said they had anticipated the surge and adequate personnel and officers were deployed in advance.