Chennai: Traffic, potholes make Vada Agaram road unusable

Chennai: A narrow stretch of Vada Agaram Road from Kendriya Vidyalaya to the point where it joins Nelson Manickam Road is a traffic mess most hours of the day. According to residents, the road, dotted with small commercial establishments, the Gill Nagar park and eateries, handles the volume of traffic it was built for. “This road is always jammed. There are more vehicles plying on it than the width of the road. Customers find it difficult to reach the hotel,” said the owner of a hotel located on the road. “If it is made one-way, it will really help,” he added. The problem is further aggravated by vehicles, mostly two-wheelers, parked on the sides, leaving hardly any space for cars to move. “Whenever a school van or mini truck comes, it gets stuck. People park their bikes on the road, making travel even more difficult,” said Harish, a daily commuter who travels to Ashok Nagar via this road. He said, “Thankfully, there are some shortcuts nearby, but only regular commuters know about them.” In recent times, some parts of the road have been dug up to repair sewage, leaving the road dusty and unusable, adding to the woes of commuters. Though work has been done in some parts, the dug up roads have not been re-paved. Ward councillors of the area acknowledged the complaints and said the road will be laid within a month. However, commuters and residents said the traffic is getting worse throughout the day and unless some traffic rules are implemented on the road, the situation will remain the same.