The trial, launched on Wednesday, was meant to streamline vehicle movement along the Thoraipakkam‑Perungudi stretch of the OMR corridor as part of ongoing Metro Rail and road‑alignment works, but it quickly turned into a nightmare for motorists.
Under the new rules, vehicles travelling toward Sholinganallur from Mettukuppam and Pillayar Kovil Street were barred from making a U‑turn near the Geetham restaurant and were instructed to use the U‑turn at the Perungudi toll booth instead. The police also added three additional U‑turn points along the highway, pushing previously nearby turns about a kilometre farther away.
Commuters reported severe delays. Hussain, a resident of PTC Quarters, said a five‑minute crossing of the service lane stretched to half an hour. Thoraipakkam resident Vaishnavee Suresh told reporters that Google Maps estimated a 29‑minute trip to Perungudi at 9:45 a.m., and she saw ambulances struggling to navigate the jammed lanes.
By the afternoon, traffic began to clear after the GCTP withdrew the experimental restrictions and restored the previous U‑turn arrangements. A senior GCTP officer confirmed the rollback, saying the police would consider re‑introducing the measures only after a thorough study of traffic flow and related factors.
The episode highlights the challenges of managing traffic on Chennai’s rapidly expanding arterial roads, especially when infrastructure projects intersect with daily commuter patterns.