Hours-long traffic snarl-up brings Amballur in Thrissur to a grinding halt

Traffic on the national highway near Amballur came to a grinding halt on Saturday, with vehicles stranded for hours in one of the worst gridlocks the area has seen in recent weeks. The line of vehicles stretched all the way up to Puthukkad town, leaving hundreds of motorists frustrated and exhausted.

The congestion, which began in the afternoon, persisted well into the evening despite efforts by the Puthukkad police to ease the snarl-up. Passengers said it took more than half an hour just to cross the Amballur stretch. Even ambulances and essential service vehicles struggled to make their way through the chaos.

The situation worsened near the Puthukkad Signal junction where the traffic situation made it difficult for vehicles to enter the railway station road and Kanjupadam road. Weekend rush coupled with the ongoing underpass construction on the highway that restricts movement of vehicles to a single lane led to the crisis.

“Every weekend it’s the same nightmare here,” a motorist said, summing up the general frustration.