Busy Mint Street waits for a better road

Mint Street, one of the busiest business hubs at George Town, has a constant flow of vehicles throughout the day. If commuting through the narrow and congested stretch is tough, bad road conditions and the ongoing storm water drain (SWD) construction have made things worse.

The street, which stretches from near the Mint Clock Tower (Old Washermanpet) to Park Town, is badly damaged, with regular road-users pointing out that this has been the situation for nearly a year. The SWD construction is in progress, but it has been completed only in some segments.

Road yet to be relaid

Sathish, an autorickshaw driver, said that on the segment where the SWD work was completed, one side of the road was milled almost a month ago, but it was yet to be relaid. “The road has been in a bad shape for almost a year. It is extremely difficult to commute, especially when the traffic increases at peak hours,” one of his colleagues added.

In many parts of the stretch, trenches were dug up for the SWD construction. However, no safety measures, like barricading, were in place near most of these trenches, and protruding iron bars posed a threat to pedestrians and motorists.

A shopkeeper said that though the SWD construction was completed near his shop, it was yet to be closed. “The condition of the road has worsened. But it looks like they will lay the road only after fully completing the SWD construction on the street,” he said.

Another shopkeeper said the Greater Chennai Corporation should expedite the work. “This is a commercial-cum-residential locality. While commuting has become difficult, the road has turned dusty. The sooner they complete the work, the better for us,” he added.

Bylanes need repairs too

The bylanes of Mint Street, such as Elephant Gate Street and Adhiyappan Street, are also in need of repairs.

A number of residents said the rain rendered the road condition worse as the damaged portions turned slushy, making it difficult to walk, while potholes were filled with water.

An official of the Chennai Corporation in the north region said road work would be completed on Wednesday in areas where the SWD construction is not taking place. “The SWD work will be completed by September 30. The road work in these portions will be taken up once the drain project is over since silt catch pits have to be constructed,” he said.