Goripalayam flyover eases traffic, but vehicles crawl on Panagal Road

Madurai: With the newly inaugurated wing of the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose flyover at Goripalayam has cut the travel time between Tamukkam and Simmakkal, commuters are now urging the state govt to expedite the widening of the adjacent Panagal Road.Former chief minister M K Stalin inaugurated the 1.3-km-long wing of the flyover that connects the Tamukkam junction and Anna Salai on April 21. Designed to ease traffic congestion in key corridors, the flyover links main localities such as Sellur, Tallakulam, Tamukkam, Nelpettai and Anna Nagar.Commuters and auto drivers said the flyover has greatly reduced traffic congestion. S Sivaram, a commuter, said it would take 30 minutes to reach Simmakal from Tallakulam before the flyover was constructed, but the travel time has been reduced to within 10 minutes now. V Vijay, an auto rickshaw driver from Mullai Nagar, who shared a similar view, however, requested the govt to widen the Panagal Road which lies perpendicular to the flyover. "The road witnesses heavy traffic congestion from 8am to 1pm and from 3pm to 7pm," he said. Kumar T, who runs a shop near Government Rajaji Hospital, suggested widening of Panagal road or building a bridge could be the solution to end the traffic congestion. He also added that the police booth opposite the govt hospital needs additional personnel during peak traffic hours to regulate the traffic on the road.Auto rickshaw drivers said relatives of people who died untimely frequently protest on the road as the entrance to the mortuary of the hospital is accessed through the road, resulting in severe traffic congestion on such occasions. Widening of the road could ease the traffic congestion, they said.A senior highway official told TOI that work for widening of Panagal Road is going on and it would be completed within 45 days. On not constructing the planned arm of the Goripalayam flyover to Panagal Road, the official said, "Initially we planned for a roundabout in the flyover above the Muthuramalingathevar statue, but a study showed such a roundabout can't handle traffic on the flyover in some 20 years . So, we dropped the plan and started widening the road."