Rain battered roads in North Chennai and suburbs have become a nightmare to motorists and pedestrians. Worst among the North Chennai areas are those annexed to the city corporation limits.

Though North Chennai is a major industrial hub housing Chennai and Ennore ports, it suffers poor road connectivity.

The widening of arterial Tiruvottiyur High (TH) Road and Ennore Manali Expressway, which connects Chennai port and Ennore and Manali industrial areas, has been progressing at snail’s pace.

The widening of Ennore Manali Expressway was taken up in 1998 as part of Chennai-Ennore port connectivity project, while the TH Road work was hit by land acquisition problem. “But the work is yet to be completed. As a result, heavy vehicles often take T.H. Road whenever Ennore Expressway is blocked,” said T. Rajkumar a resident of Thiruvottiyur said.

“We have been demanding for decades to widen both the roads to ensure free flow of traffic. But the government remains indifferent to our demands,” he said, adding the delay in widening of those two arterial roads has been hampering the overall development of Thiruvottiyur and its adjoining areas.

E. Balasubramanian, joint convener of North Chennai People’s Right Federation, said one of the main challenges of the new local administration would be to improve arterial roads and clearing the congestion.

“As an alternative to TH Raod and Ennore Manali Expressway, we have suggested improving Cochrane Basin Bridge road connecting Basin Bride and Tiruvottiyur to ease traffic congestion,” he said, adding that rains have made the road worse as they have become unmotorable.

Residents of Manali New Town (MNT) complained that the delay in completion of works on converting Thiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetty Road into a four-lane highway has resulted in heavy traffic. “The government should at least relay the damaged portions of the roads,” demanded G. Ganesh, a software professional and resident of MNT.