Basin Bridge bottleneck leaves commuters stranded for 30 minutes daily

Chennai: The busy four-way Basin Bridge junction, connecting Wall Tax Road, Vyasarpadi, Korukkupet and Mint, continues to witness severe congestion every evening, with motorists taking up to 30 minutes to cross the stretch.Commuters blame it on the traffic diversion introduced by the police. Traffic officials, however, said only widening Basin Bridge from a four-lane to a six-lane road could provide a lasting solution.The worst choke point begins after Old Mint Bus Terminus, where vehicles are diverted into the narrow Padavattamman Kovil Street and Peddu Street before reconnecting to Wall Tax Road 200m later. Motorists heading towards Central turn left at Wall Tax Road, while traffic bound for Vyasarpadi, Kodungaiyur and MKB Nagar take right on Wall Tax Road and then a left to the Basin Bridge flyover.The diversion was introduced six years ago to ease congestion at Basin Bridge during the construction of Elephant Gate Bridge. But even after the new bridge was opened to public, the old arrangement continues.Traffic police said attempts were made to restore direct access from Mint to Basin Bridge through signals, but peak volumes of 5,000-6,000 vehicles an hour choke the junction. “The signal system failed, and we retained intermittent diversion permanently,” said C-2 Elephant Gate traffic sub-inspector Rajan.Vehicles from Wall Tax Road pile up on the flyover. At the same time, motorists from Basin Bridge take illegal right turns onto Wall Tax Road to avoid long U-turns at Mint, triggering gridlocks on the narrow interior roads. Despite barricades, violations continue, often leading to conflicts.Royapuram zonal chairman P Sriramulu said residents had petitioned traffic police to restore the earlier traffic pattern as local streets were bearing the brunt of heavy vehicular movement.Rajan said the long-term fix lies in extending the Basin Bridge flyover arm across the junction so vehicles from Mint and Basin Bridge can bypass the signal altogether, effectively reducing it to a two-way intersection.A proposal to reconstruct the flyover was floated by the highways department in 2019. However, it was stalled due to railway clearances, as part of the alignment passes above Basin Bridge railway tracks and power transmission lines. Highway officials said discussions with railways would be revived to explore a fresh proposal.