Motorists caught in unending snarls as potholes and pipe burst turn stretch unmotorable at Murungapakkam junction

Motorists in Puducherry face increased traffic congestion and danger due to a burst pipeline causing large potholes.

The ordeal of motorists passing through Murungapakkam junction on the Puducherry - Cuddalore highway has increased manifold after a pipeline burst ruined the road surface around three months ago. 

Even before the road sustained damages due to the pipe burst, the stretch used to face heavy traffic congestion because of the narrow carriageway considering the heavy traffic movement along the route.

Now, after the burst that occurred on a pipeline laid almost three decades ago, the junction is filled with even larger potholes. The uneven surface of the stretch has become a nightmare for motorists. The potholes have become bigger after the recent rains.

“We used to face traffic bottleneck at the junction even before cracks appeared on the pipeline. Now because of the uneven surface and potholes, vehicles can move only at snail’s pace leading to traffic snarls almost throughout the day. During peak hours, flow of vehicles gets affected till Marappalam junction,” said a local shop owner.

Thillai, a resident of Murungapakkam said crossing the stretch has become more difficult during peak hours. Accidents occur during night as motorists are unable to spot potholes which could cause serious mishaps. The damaged road is a threat to motorists, especially to two-wheeler riders, he added.

The shop owner said two days ago workers tried to fill the potholes by dumping gravel after videos showing the poor condition of road surfaced on social media platforms. “But hours after gravel was filled, the potholes resurfaced. Such knee-jerk reactions will not suffice,” he added.

According to an official in the Public Works Department, the relaying of the burst portion of pipeline got slightly delayed as the alignment of the pipeline had to be changed. “After we completed the pipeline relaying work, BSNL and electric cable laying works were carried out by different agencies in the area. Now we will level the area in a few days and ask the National Highways division to carry out the blacktopping work. The entire stretch will be ready in a few days,” the official added.