Law and Order: Panangal Road to be widened to remove bottleneck near GRH

After the foot-over-bridge (FOB) near Periyar bus stand was demolished in 2012, it is the turn of the subway on Panangal Road near Government Rajaji Hospital to give way for road widening.

While the FOB had remained unutilised for 14 years before it was brought down, the subway had been rendered useless for nearly 25 years since its commissioning.

Both the facilities were aimed at providing safe passage for pedestrians to cross the arterial roads. However, poor patronage from the pedestrians led to their demolition.

The entrance/exit structures of the subway had to be locked after it became a den for anti-social elements. The structures had occupied good portion of the carriage way on either sides.

Now, as part of the construction of a huge roundabout around Muthuramalinga Thevar statue, the stretch of Panangal Road between Goripalayam junction and main entrance of the Government Rajaji Hospital is being widened.

The road is likely to be widened for more than 15 feet for around 250 metres.

“Since the vehicles coming from Tamukkam side need to take a free left turn towards Panangal Road, widening of the road would do away with the present bottleneck,” an engineer of the Highways Department said.

This would ensure smooth movement of ambulances carrying patients to the GRH.

A new storm water drainage would also come up along the road opposite to the GRH.

The road widening work would likely be completed by April when the entire work of Goripalayam flyover was scheduled for completion.