New traffic changes - near Chennai Central, Corporation, Nehru Stadium...

The façade of Chennai is set to change totally – decades ago, Cinema will show heroine landing up in Chennai  from a village – the camera would show the Central station, LIC in Mount Road, Pallavan Transport buses, Anna Samadhi and the like – and you can see cars and buses plying on the road – now a days, they don’t seem to move at all – you see traffic snarls everywhere – signs of a growing city unable to bear to the improvement – impatient people, trying to cut corners not heeding to any discipline. 

Chennai Metropolis has been growing rapidly and the traffic volumes on the roads have also been increasing enormously.  The Govt. deemed it fit  for a new rail based rapid transport system and has implemented ‘Chennai Metro Rail Project’. This project aims at providing the people of Chennai with a fast, reliable, convenient, efficient, modern and economical mode of public transport, which is properly integrated with other forms of public and private transport including buses, sub-urban trains and MRTS.

With Metro rail, something impossible happened – traffic in the main artillery road – Mount Road aka Anna Salai was regularized.  Many eye-brows were raised when effective 1st March 2012, prime part of the Mount Road after Devi Paradise complex – from Wellington junction [just prior to Alankar theatre and LIC] was made one way – vehicles plying towards Spencers Signal were not allowed to use that stretch of Anna Salai and were re-directed towards GP Road, Whites Road, to join Anna Salai near United India HO.  Now after the changes in traffic pattern in Mount road, we are sort of used to the one way and traffic is flowing freely. 

In this Metro Rail project, there are two corridors.  Corridor 1 links Airport to Washermanpet – the length being  23.085 km, out of which  14.300km is  underground, 8.785 km is elevated. Total 18 nos. of stations have been planned  along this corridor. The alignment starts from old Washermanpet on southern side of old  Washermanpet Railway Station,  passes under Broad way as well Esplanade, enters Government Dental College and Hospital area land and then runs along Mount Road. 

The Corridor 2 appears more circular though slightly shorter in length at 21.961km.  This Corridor is also  partly under ground and  partly elevated. First station is Chennai Central,  and last station is St Thomas  Mount. Corridor-2 runs underground along the Periyar EVR Salai,  KMC, Pachaiappa’s College, Shenoy Nagar, Avenue Road of Anna Nagar,  Tirumangalam Junction,  Jawaharlal Nehru Road, CMBT Koyambedu, Ashok Nagar, crosses Adyar river, goes over the Kathipara Road Fly Over and aligns parallel to  Mount Road in Alandur Area to St Thomas Mount. 

Somehow, the traffic diversions that had to be made have gone almost smoothly, though Chennai does not boast of alternative and parallel roads – and many of the roads becoming much thinner incapable of taking buses and heavy vehicles plying. 

Central Station is the most important landmark and a very busy place at that.  The city traffic police have now  announced traffic diversions in view of the proposed underground metro station construction work on Raja Muthiah Salai between PLC point (EVR Salai and Raja Muthaiah Salai junction) and Vepery High Road. The modifications will be implemented for three days on a trial basis, with effect from September 15 at 6 a.m.

The stretch of Raja Muthaiah Salai from PLC Point to Vepery High Road will be made a one-way with entry from EVR Salai and Raja Muthaiah Salai junction. Entry from Raja Muthaiah Salai and Vepery High Road junction towards EVR Salai will not be allowed. In effect, those travelling towards the Nehru Stadium, Periamet etc., can go in that direction but cannot now come towards Ripon building to take Poonamallee Road.

this map - courtesy - The Hindu

Commercial vehicles and MTC buses from Vepery High Road going towards Chennai Central will take a route via Vepery High Road – Choolai Roundabout – Demellows point – Elephant Gate Bridge – Walltax Road – EVR Salai to reach their destinations. Light vehicles and two-wheelers from Vepery High Road and Choolai may use Alli Kulam Road to reach Central.

Vehicles including MTC buses from Choolai going towards Egmore will take a route via Vepery High Road – EVK Sampath Salai – EVR Salai to reach their destinations. Vehicles from Choolai going towards Chennai Central will take a route via Choolai Roundabout – Demellows point - Elephant Gate Bridge – Walltax Road – EVR Salai to reach their destinations.

Vehicle movement, in both directions, on EVR Salai will remain as usual.

The place near ‘Yaanai Gauni’ [Elephant Gate] already chokes with traffic and is remains to be seen how Chennai is able to cope up with the new traffic change necessitated by the Chennai Metro, which sure will bring lot relief to the Chennai traffic

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

Map and the part detailing new traffic diversions – courtesy : The Hindu.