Chennai’s Nandanam signal will undergo a change from Wednesday with four-way traffic being closed to the public. The signal which facilitates travel to T Nagar, Saidapet, Nungambakkam and Cenotaph Road will now revert for a week to old rules that were in place during the construction of the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL).
According to one report in the Times of India, the changes are to take place on a trial basis for a week from Wednesday. This means that incoming traffic from Venkatanarayana Road in T Nagar will have to turn into Burkit Road on the left or Venkatanarayana Road on the right, in order to emerge on Anna Salai.
When the CMRL began construction of its Underground Corridor 1, Anna Salai was converted into a one-way stretch for traffic between 2012 and 2019. Following the inauguration of the Chennai Metro in May 2018, amid great relief, the crucial junction was opened up again in July last year. However, it failed to meet expectations causing massive jams for commuters during peak hours. In fact, the traffic near the Muthuramalinga Thevar statues spills on to the neighbouring colonies that motorists use as a short-cut to approach the Nandanam signal.
However, some attribute the long wait at the signal to the Chennai Traffic Police barring the right turn on Cenotaph Road. Vehicles approaching Anna Salai from Cenotaph Road in Teynampet are forced to take a left towards Nandanam signal. Earlier, they could easily turn right and make their way on to Anna Salai towards Gemini without having to make a long-winded U-turn.
With the changes beginning on Wednesday for a week as a trial run, the Chennai police is expected to take a call on a more permanent arrangement for the congestion-prone signal.