Motorists going to Porur, Mugalivakkam tum right on to Butt Road

CHENNAI: A major traffic bottleneck on Mount-Poonamallee High Road at the St Thomas Mount junction could soon go, with the state highways department set to almost double the width of Butt Road — where the arterial stretch narrows to just 9m, causing severe traffic snarls.

The revenue department has started the process to acquire land on either side of the arterial road for expansion. The road currently has a maximum width of 13m; the department plans to widen it to 22m.

Butt Road is a small section on Mount-Poonamallee High Road and a part of State Highway 55. Vehicles exiting the Kathipara flyover take the road to reach areas like Porur, Mugalivakkam.Forced through the constricted stretch, vehicles are often stuck in long traffic jams during peak hours.

Highways department sources told TOI that the land acquisition wing of Kancheepuram district will acquire the land required.

“The tahsildar concerned will send a report to the district administration. We will require land on either sides of the road for a stretch of 600 metres starting from St Thomas Mount junction to widen the road to 22 metres, matching its width with the rest of Mount-Poonamallee High Road,” the official said.

Sources said the road will become a three-way lane after shops on the stretch are removed for the project.

Poor maintenance of Mount-Poonamallee High Road has made commuting a tough task for road users. Several portions of the road near Porur are severely battered.

P Thangam, a resident of Pallavaram who uses the road to get to his workplace in Mugalivakkam, said vehicular density has multiplied several-fold in the past five years.

“It takes 30 minutes to travel from Porur junction to Butt Road, a 5-km distance, on bike. It took just 15 minutes a few years ago. The worse affected are cars, as it takes around 45 minutes to cover the distance,” he said.

Data available with the traffic police show that 80 to 100 vehicles bound for Porur and Poonamallee pass through Mugalivakkam every minute during peak hours everyday. These vehicles switch to a snail’s pace for one kilometre near Porur, as the road dug up for laying cables by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and Tangedco, more than six months ago is yet to be relaid.

When contacted, highways department officials said they are taking steps to get partial completion certificates from CMWSSB and Tangedco to relay the road.

“We are prepared to start work on relaying the road. But both the agencies have pending work on parts of the road,” a highways department official said, adding that action is being taken to repair certain portions of Mount-Poonamallee High Road within a month.

