Traffic snarls on the bridge across Vaigai river in Arapalayam in Madurai.
| Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY
Four-lane roads with median were laid on both banks of Vaigai river with the sole objective of decongesting vehicular movement on arterial roads in Madurai city.
Over the years, these roads had been extended, rail over bridge constructed at Thathaneri and missing link in Sellur had been laid to optimise their purpose.
However, as more vehicles started to use these roads, the traffic snarls have now shifted to the Vaigai River North Bank Road near Thathaneri.
The four-road junction connecting Vaigai River North Bank Road and Jayalalithaa Bridge (across Vaigai river near Arapalayam) and Thathaneri Main Road has become a major bottleneck, not just during peak hours, but also otherwise.
“After the traffic signal on Bypass Road near Arapalayam was removed with new traffic arrangement, more vehicles have started to use the Vaigai River North Bank Road from north parts of Madurai city to go to Kalavasal and to reach Tirunelveli-Dindigul highway,” said an official from Madurai City Traffic Police.
The volume of traffic from Sellur towards Arapalayam and vice-versa has increased manifold.
“This junction on Vaigai River North Bank Road and Jayalalithaa Bridge has not been designed to take such a volume of traffic,” he added.
As a result, vehicles get piled up on the entire stretch of the river bridge and for most part of the one-km-long Vaigai River North Bank Road between the ROB at Sellur and the junction.
With this stretch being part of major bus route, the narrow bridge adds to the congestion as drivers find it difficult to negotiate a sharp left turn towards the bridge as vehicles halting on bridge block the way for the bus.
Similarly, vehicles coming from Arapalayam also struggle to take free left turn at the junction towards Dindigul Bypass Road.
While traffic policeman regulate the traffic flow during peak hours, their absence during rest of the day causes a mad race among the road users to cross the junction.
The entrance of the bridge requires immediate engineering alteration to enable smooth left turns for heavy vehicles.
Similarly, the sprawling space at the junction, including the 50-metre strech of road linking it with Thathaneri Main Road, could be converted into traffic roundabout to regulate flow of traffic on the four-road junction.
“This will prevent vehicles from different sides cutting into flow of traffic from opposite sides,” the official added.
Published – January 02, 2026 09:09 pm IST
