Arcot Road waits for re-lay 10 days after milling

CHENNAI: If it’s not riddled with potholes and stagnated with rainwater mixed with sewage, it’s an entire stretch that’s waiting to be re-laid. What compounds the problem, especially for two-wheeler riders, is that a milled road is dangerous to navigate. Motorists on Arcot Road have been struggling to ride on the stretch as the milling work was completed 10 days ago, and yet, the road has not been re-laid.

Last week, heavy rains lashed several parts of Chennai, damaging many roads. To repair these, the Chennai Corporation carried out milling work on the damaged stretches.

On Arcot Road – from Vadapalani Bus Terminus to the Metro Station – milling was completed for re-laying the road. However, the new asphalt has not yet been laid. This has inconvenienced two-wheeler riders travelling through this stretch.

“Riders lose control and falling frequently, and tyres get punctured often. Arcot Road was already in a bad shape due to Metro Rail work. Now, riding on this newly milled stretch has made it more challenging,” said Murugan.

In 2022, CM Stalin had issued a directive that new roads should not be laid without milling the old surface. Based on that order, old roads were being milled before re-laying them. If a new road is not laid within five days from the date of milling, the contractor would have to pay penalties.

When asked about this, Corporation officials said, “Work has already begun to re-lay the road from Vadapalani towards Kamala Theatre. The entire stretch on both sides will be completed within the next few days.”