CHENNAI: In a relief to people travelling on Poonamallee High Road, the National Highways Authority of India has begun removing the abutment wall blocking traffic at the centre of Maduravoyal junction. This is expected to decongest the stretch to a significant extent.
NHAI officials said the wall was built in 2012 as part of the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal corridor project. While the project never took off, the 10-feet-high wall remained horizontally placed in the middle of the road causing snarls on either side. “With the layout of the port-corridor project being changed, we no more require the abutment wall. We have demolished about 50% of it and the remaining will be demolished by the weekend,” said an NHAI official.
TOI last week had highlighted how the congestion at the junction caused bottlenecks, leading to nearly four ambulances heading towards Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) getting stuck there. This had also caused a stoppage time of 4-6 minutes. In addition to causing bottlenecks, the abutment wall also was a blind-spot structure that led to accidents.
