Rows of vehicles seen lined up on the GST road near Singaperumal Koil on Sunday. | Photo credit: Deepa H. Ramakrishnan
The Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road was gridlocked on Sunday as thousands of vehicles, especially two-wheelers and cars, returned to the city after the Pongal celebrations. The rush started in the morning and traffic jams were witnessed at several places including Singaperumal Koil, Madurantakam and Tambaram.
Parasuraman, a resident of Ponvilaindakalathur, said they avoided going to GST Road, even for shopping during Pongal. “We live 3 km from Chengalpattu town, which is our shopping hub. But the traffic on the state highway made us think twice,” he said.
The inner roads of Chengalpattu were unusually busy on Sunday afternoon. “People who know the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and East Coast Road (ECR) through Chengalpattu town and Thiruporur used the inland roads. Those who didn’t were stuck in traffic on the GST road. Motorists who wanted to take the GST road from the Chengalpattu-Thiruporur road were forced to wait for the traffic to clear and the traffic would get worse at night on Monday,” said James, a resident Chengalpattu.
Attendants manning the toll booths at Paranur, Athuru and Vikravandi looked exhausted due to the higher than usual workload. “Traffic is quite heavy in Athur. The long waiting times at the plazas is not due to lack of FAStags but due to the large number of vehicles passing by. Unicycles are sent through the corner lanes to keep others open for buses and private vehicles,” said a source from Athur plaza.
Murugesan, who used the GST Road from Chennai on Sunday evening, said the traffic was heavy and moving slowly. “Although I can see the Vikravandi toll plaza from here, it will take me at least another 30 minutes to even get to it. I was shifting between first and second gear, so the whole experience of going home is very tiring.”
All along the road, two-wheeler riders were seen waiting and taking breaks before continuing their tiring journey. A retired highway engineer said it would be good if the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) could open more rest stops for families to take a break. “A few concrete benches and a clean source of water will be refreshing. Instead, you can see people leaning on the barriers,” he added.
Published – 18 Jan 2026 20:10 IST
