For autorickshaw driver K. V. Dhamu, trips from Perungudi to Velachery and vice-versa are a breeze. For, he has found a way to beat the traffic, even rush hour traffic. There is excitement in his voice as he shares the details of a new short cut he has discovered.
“From Perungudi station, I take the road to Bharathi Nagar to enter Baby Nagar. This way, I avoid the heavy traffic at Taramani junction. The best part of taking this route is that the stretch is free of potholes,” says Dhamu who belongs to an auto stand at Taramani MRTS station.
Work on the three-km road that runs parallel to the MRTS network from Taramani to Velachery stations is still incomplete, but that has not kept many motorists from using it.
The road from Taramani to Perungudi was recently black-topped and last week, the medians were painted. Many motorists make use of this short-cut to reach Velachery from OMR and vice versa.
“This short-cut has always existed, but very few people took it as it was not motorable. The stretch has no lighting facility,” says Dhamu.
The black-and-shiny stretch is drawing not only motorists, but also walkers, joggers and skaters. In the morning, many can be seen performing stretching exercises, jogging or practising skating.
On the other end of the three-km road, which connects to Velachery MRTS, blue metal has been lying around for some weeks now.
E. Selvam, a pavement vendor on the Tambaram-Velachery Main Road, says once the work is completed, many will benefit from using the stretch. “Travel time will reduce by 10-15 minutes,” says Selvam, a resident of Perungudi who uses the stretch occasionally.
The link road is expected to benefit those commuting to companies on the IT Corridor, CSIR Road at Taramani and the Inner Ring Road.
According to Southern Railway officials, work on a small bridge connecting Perungudi to Velachery is still pending.
“We recently issued work orders to a new contractor as the previous agency did not meet our expectations. We hope to see the work completed by December,” said the engineer from Southern Railway, which is executing the work on the stretch.
