Gridlock on Trunk Road riles residents of Srirangam, motorists in Tiruchi

The Thiruvanaikovil flyover in Tiruchi chock-a-block with vehicles. | Photo Credit: R. VENGADESH A long line of vehicles has become a common sight on the Kollidam bridge near Srirangam. | Photo Credit: R. VENGADESH Residents of Srirangam are faced with harrowing experiences during their daily commute in recent months due to the severe traffic congestion on the Tiruchi-Chennai Trunk Road between No. 1 Tollgate and the Anna Statue Junction.Traffic hold-ups have become common right from the Chinthamani traffic signal and on the old Cauvery bridge in the city, the overbridge at Thiruvanaikovil and the Kollidam bridge right through the day. The situation turns worse during the peak hours when bumper-to-bumper traffic has become the order of the day, complain residents.City residents point out that the problem begins right from the bridge on the Karur Bypass and the automatic traffic signal near the Kalaignar Arivalayam Junction, the Chathiram Bus Stand, and the Anna Statue Junction.The problem is widely attributed to the on-going repairs to the bridge across the Cauvery on the Tiruchi-Chennai Bypass taken up by the National Highways Authority of India since June 25. The work is expected to be completed by mid-October.With traffic being diverted on a single carriageway between Sanjeevi Nagar Junction and Kondayampettai and the closure of Kumbakonam road between Srirangam and the bypass road, a large number of motorists have to necessarily go via the Cauvery bridge in the city.“My commute between Srirangam and No.1 Tollgate every day is horrendous these days. Traffic comes to a standstill on the trunk road at times. The repairs to the Cauvery bridge on the bypass should be expedited as it has triggered multi-fold traffic problems within the city. The city police should deploy more traffic personnel at key locations and strictly enforce traffic rules,” said J. Anantha Padmanabhan, a resident of Srirangam.Observing that the problem was mainly due to the closure of the Cauvery bridge on the bypass, Suresh Venkatachalam, president, Srirangam Nagara Nala Sangam, said residents were suffering badly due to the worsening traffic situation.“Crossing the Cauvery has become an arduous task and it is important that repairs on the bridge on the bypass are completed quickly, ahead of the festival season. The problem is we have no other bridge, but for the old bridge in the city, across Cauvery. We have long been pressing for the construction of a barrage-cum-bridge across the Cauvery and the Kollidam rivers from Pazhur (on Tiruchi-Karur highway) to connect Srirangam and Thiruvasi (Tiruchi-Musiri highway). The proposal should be executed expeditiously to give an alternative route, given the rising number of vehicles in the city,” Mr.Venkatachalam said. Published - September 05, 2026 06:17 pm IST