‘Legacy milestones on East Coast Road will be protected’

Work pertaining to road-widening and stormwater-drain construction is in full swing on sections of East Coast Road in Chennai

Rubble lines sections of East Coast Road that are undergoing road-widening work. A resident of Vettuvankani recently raised concerns over the fate of legacy milestones, expressing his fears that they could disappear into the quick sand of a rapid road-widening exercise.

According to State Highways sources, the fear is unfounded and utmost care would be taken to protect the legacy milestones. The sources pointed out work — to be specific, stormwater drain construction work — is concentrated on patches along the road where structures have been demolished following land acquisition.

The question of protecting legacy milestones would arise only when the work gets to the road area. Sources said that the legacy milestones are standing safe in their original positions along the existing road and they would be protected when the core road expansion work gets under way.

On why TBM (temporary bench mark) has been inscribed on a milestone or two, the sources pointed out it was for survey purposes, and these milestones would also be enabled to function once again as markers of distance and a journey.