Accident waiting to happen on Padi flyover

Pic courtesy: Shiba Prasad Sahu

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on Aug 17, 2010:

CHENNAI: Poor upkeep of the planned grade separator at the Padi junction on the Chennai-Thiruvallur High Road (CTH Road) throws up a risk of accident for motorists.

This is in contrast with the case of Kathipara junction flyover, which has been properly maintained, thanks to regular usage by high-profile visitors to the State from the nearby Meenambakkam airport.

True, the inauguration of the Padi facility 19 months ago has considerably reduced the daily ordeal for motorists. It is an NHAI project with six ramps and an elevated rotary, but poor maintenance of the bridge is causing hardship to its users as heavy vehicles have damaged all the speed-breakers installed on the rotary.

“All vehicles, including the heavy ones, move at high speed while crossing the rotary since the speed breakers are damaged and rendered useless,” laments Sunil of Ambattur, a regular user of the bridge. “This poses a potential danger for two-wheelers of being knocked down.”

While the Kathipara flyover was inaugurated in October 2008, the Padi flyover was inaugurated in February last year by the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi from his hospital bed.

Says another regular at the flyover: “Crossing the bridge at night is very difficult as most of the heavy vehicles use the elevated bridge.”

Lack of speed-breakers at the bottom of the bridge was also causing problems for two-wheelers. Besides, the high-mast lamps were also not working.

A senior NHAI official, when contacted, said the onus of maintaining the bridge rested with the private contractor who had completed the project. “We will ask the person to rectify the problems soon,” he told Express. He blamed the heavy vehicles for damaging the speed breakers and asked police to stop heavy vehicles from using the elevated bridge.