By Netbrandvalue 
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority conducted consultations with stakeholders last week on projects for improving the junctions and the subways. A study of the junctions has been carried out along Anna Salai, EVR Periyar Salai, and Rajaji Salai
Road junctions in Chennai are to be improved and subways will soon get a makeover to improve the safety of pedestrians and motorists and ease traffic congestion. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) conducted consultations with stakeholders last week on projects for improving the junctions and the subways. A study of the junctions has been carried out along Anna Salai, EVR Periyar Salai, and Rajaji Salai near LIC, Shanthi Theatre, DMS, the Beach station, the Central station, Thousand Lights, Saidapet, Nungambakkam, and Guindy.
‘Disclose details’
V. S. Jayaraman of the T. Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association says the civic body should spend money on resolving all issues in the subways before launching new projects. “The CMDA does not seem to take all the stakeholders on board while coming up with new projects. It should also hold consultations with residents’ associations. With regard to its subway and junction improvement project, the CMDA should also conduct a study of vehicular subways that are posing problems perennially. The Madley Road, Duraiswamy Road, and Aranganathan Subways are the case in point. Even when it does not rain, these subways are no good as sewage can be seen oozing, forcing the two-wheeler riders to be careful enough to avoid getting muddied. Even after regular repairs, the problem persists. And during the rain, these subways get closed. The CMDA should make these subways useful in all seasons,” Mr. Jayaraman says.
Nanganallur resident Raghavan says the Thillaiganganagar subway, which connects GST Road with Medavakkam Main Road and Velachery through the Southern Sector Ring Road, needs improvement. “Water seepage is the issue occurring throughout the year and more during the monsoon. The roads should be relaid on this stretch. The civic agencies should implement projects to improve the safety of motorists. Currently, repairs are being done to this subway. There is an access to the GST Road junction only through the Alandur bus depot, and it is very narrow,” he says. “A part of the Pazhavanthangal subway also suffers from water stagnation. The subway is crucial for connectivity to the GST Road and to the airport,” he says.
Harsha Koda, co-founder, Federation of OMR Residents’ Association (FOMRRA), says the 13 footbridges on Old Mahabalipuram Road have been placed in areas where there is a minimum chance of usage. “We have been assured by Chennai Metro Rail Limited that the new footbridges will be better and at the right places.”
‘A neglected lot’
K.P. Subramaniam, former professor, Department of Urban Engineering, Anna University, says the pedestrian subways are a neglected lot and are in a deplorable condition. “The subways are dark, dirty, and poorly lit. They are marked by encroachment by hawkers, squatting by anti- social elements, solid waste strewn all around, spitting on the walls and floors, and in an unhygienic condition. The subways requiring immediate attention are those near railway stations, especially Central, Guindy, and Beach. All the three have outlived their utility. Therefore, they need urgent redevelopment.”
“Most of the road intersections are signalised. However, the signals are manually operated, resulting in erratic time allocation for different arms, thus testing the tolerance of the motorist. The Madhya Kailash intersection is a classic example. Therefore, signal timings have to be recalibrated on the basis of the current volume of straight and turning movements, including those of pedestrians. Most signals at the intersections are devoid of pedestrian phasing or have inadequate timings,” he says.
Minor corrections
Officials associated with Intelligent Transport System, another crucial project, say 165 junctions are to be taken up for improvement under the project, but only with minor corrections. “We can’t call them major improvements. These improvements are only to facilitate the functionality of the ITS equipment,” says an official. “We have not taken up the 165 junctions for improvement. But all the junctions will be covered. Signage and road marking will be done as part of the work,” the official says. K. Kumar, former Chief Planner, CMDA and Visiting Faculty Member, Department of Planning, Anna University’s School of Architecture and Planning, says the intent and purpose of making any major investment fruitful in the upgrade of any urban infrastructure, the road and junction improvement in particular, must take into reckoning the following: “Reviewing the road junctions identified in the previous studies, more specifically the statutory document — the Second Master Plan — and other major exercise, viz., the Chennai Mobility Plan and bringing forward those remaining unexecuted for implementation.”
‘Traffic study needed’
“Execution of big ticket projects like Metro Rail and elevated highway might have brought in their wake certain other junctions for improvement. The completion of the Third Master Plan (TMP) in early 2026, which would give an exhaustive shelf of projects for implementation in the next 20 years, pre-empts any knee-jerk improvement schemes now. A comprehensive traffic and transportation study (CTTS), to be undertaken co-terminus with the TMP, would give among other things an extensive shelf of junction improvement schemes, factoring in the future population, employment, and land-use,” he says. Without the inputs from the CTTS, the TMP is incomplete. It is not known if the CTTS has been commissioned and is operational. “With just less than one year working season before the TMP coming into force and the execution of the second phase of Metro Rail that necessitated makeshift traffic circulation across the city, it is both undesirable and questionable to make any major investment except in those short-term ones that need to be implemented in the exigency. The Assembly election early next year is also a case in point.”