Medavakkam and Perumbakkam are a nightmare for commuters

Traffic congestion worsens in Medavakkam and Perumbakkam due to Chennai Metro Rail phase-II construction, causing delays and frustration for commuters.

Home to several residents employed in the information technology sector, areas in and around Medavakkam and Perumbakkam are facing the heat of traffic diversions and truncated road space. Many of them are hard put to it to commute to work daily.

After the ₹63,246-crore Chennai Metro Rail’s phase-II began in the city a few years ago, taking detours and spending more money on fuel and more time on the roads have become the norm in the city, commuters say. Phase-II comprises three corridors — Madhavaram to SIPCOT through Mylapore (corridor 3); Light House to Poonamallee through Panagal Park (corridor 4); and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur through Medavakkam (corridor 5).

As in many other areas where traffic congestion has worsened after the construction of phase-II started, the ride for motorists on the stretch from Medavakkam Main Road, Keelkattalai, Kovilambakkam, Medavakkam, and Perumbakkam is a bumpy one, leaving them exhausted by the time they get to work or return home.

The construction of the elevated network of corridor 5 is under way at a slow pace at places like Perumbakkam, Medavakkam, and Keelkattalai after traffic diversions came into effect. On the long stretch of Medavakkam Main Road, the barricades have been removed at a few places, but motorists find the ride bumpy at many other locations. Only patchwork is done in several areas, which makes it tough for the motorists to drive. Even in some of the areas where the barricades have been removed, either construction vehicles are present or construction materials are kept, reducing the road width.

Sadham Hussain often travels from Medavakkam to Perumbakkam. He says it is mentally and physically exhausting to ride the two-wheeler on this short stretch. “The existing road space is not adequate for the flurry of vehicles that passes through these areas at peak hours. I slipped and fell from my bike recently on one of the potholed roads. While the condition of the roads is marginally better, it is not entirely convenient to navigate the traffic and drive around Perumbakkam, Medavakkam, and Keelkattalai,” he says.

With encroachments and traffic violations, too, at some locations, it is a tough task to drive through the stretch, commuters say. Bhakyaraj, an autorickshaw driver who travels in and around Medavakkam, Echankadu, and Perumbakkam, says he spends ₹200 more on fuel every day after the Metro Rail work began.

“I dread the pick-up and drop at the morning peak hours. Last week, it took me an hour to get from Echankadu to Thoraipakkam. When it rains, vehicles move inch by inch,” he says. The congestion worsens the day before and after a long weekend, Mr. Bhakyaraj adds.