Tired of a long wait for vehicular traffic to slow down, pedestrians have taken to crossing the roundtana at Anna Nagar. They have been at the mercy of motorists, who stop at will, as there are no traffic signals in place. But this is soon set to change. Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is constructing a pedestrian subway at the roundtana to link the four corners of the intersection making crossing the road relatively easy for pedestrians. The subway will also help metro rail commuters get to the nearest station in no time.

Work is on to excavate soil at the intersection to build the subway. An entry point with glass panels similar to those constructed for underground metro stations has been built on one end of Third Avenue. “Work is happening round-the-clock. We will open the subway as early as possible,” a metro rail official said.

Once opened, the subway will make it easy for metro rail commuters to cross the road and get to the nearest station. The intersection has two underground metro stations — Anna Nagar East and Anna Nagar Tower — on either side. The subway is also expected to take a considerable number of pedestrians, who face the hassle of crossing the intersection, underground.

“Ever since the roads were opened and traffic was made two-way, there were no traffic signals in any of the junctions in Anna Nagar from roundtana to Thirumangalam. It is very difficult to cross the roads near the roundtana, as vehicles move in all directions. A subway in this junction was much needed,” said M Rajarajan of Anna Nagar.

Changes to the traffic flow was made in December 2011 to facilitate metro rail construction. Several main and adjoining roads were made one way.

When traffic was restored to two-way after the underground metro line between Nehru Park and Thirumangalam opened in May 2017, residents complained of frequent snarls and minor accidents near the intersection due to the absence of traffic signals.

CMRL has built similar pedestrian subways or has integrated station entry points to existing subways in several locations. At Central metro, CMRL is building three pedestrian subways in addition to renovating the existing one.

Source: The Times of India, Chennai