The Hindu 29.06.2010
Streetlights soon on a stretch of GNT Road
K. Lakshmi
| Madhavaram Municipality to install them at cost of Rs.10 lakh |
Set to change: Negotiating the stretch of GNT Road between Moolakadai and Madhavaram after sunset is a nightmare for motorists.
CHENNAI: The problem of inadequate illumination on the stretch of Grand Northern Trunk Road between Moolakadai and Madhavaram that poses problems for the motorists is set to be addressed, with the local body planning to install streetlights.
G. Sivaram, a resident of Madhavaram, said traffic congestion had eased out after widening of the road, which serves as a crucial link to Nellore and Kolkata. But for the headlights of vehicles plying on the 5-km stretch, there is no illumination on the road.
Motorists face the risk of accidents as the road, which is also used by heavy vehicles, has been without streetlights for over a decade now.
A senior official of Madhavaram Municipality said the local body plans to install 22 streetlights on the stretch of GNT Road at a cost of Rs.10 lakh.
Though the road belonged to the State Highways Department, the local body has to provide and maintain streetlights.
The delay was due to getting approval from the department for taking over the maintenance.
Flyover planned
The stretch bustling with traffic from various areas in north Chennai, including Vysarpadi, Madhavaram and Red Hills, would also soon get a flyover. The Moolakadai junction witnesses traffic volume of nearly 1.5 lakh passenger car units daily.
Sources in the Highways Department said bids received for the project are being scrutinised. The four-lane flyover would be 550 m long and 15 m wide. The cost of land acquisition has also been included in the Rs.50 crore allocated for the project. About 4,000 sq.m. land needs to be acquired for the project, the sources added.
