Chennai: The five-km stretch on East Coast Road from Neelankarai to Akkarai is anything but a smooth ride. The road surface is uneven in places; layers have come off at multiple locations, exposing gravel and dust, especially near dividers where motorists make U-turns.“This is risky, especially at night when the stretch becomes free. Bikers riding at high speeds do not notice such worn-off portions and end up skidding and falling. This can lead to fatal accidents. Even in the day, such portions pose a risk to motorists and road-users,” says Kadhar Basha, who works as a security guard at an outlet in Vettuvankani. En route to Neelankarai from Palavakkam, the road is not even two lanes as vehicles are parked haphazardly because the road margins are not paved and gravel and dirt lie exposed. Ganesh, who operates a pick-up van on the stretch, said, “The sides of the roads have been in this state for months. Portions of the road near dividers have only worsened in the recent past, owing to several works being carried out by the govt. Several two-wheelers lose skid on this stretch.” V E Mathiyalagan, chairman, zone-15 (ward committee), cites the ongoing road-widening work on the part of the highways department and the drainage-laying work by Metrowater for the inconvenience. “However, wherever the work is completed, the worn-out stretches are all patched up. As for the remaining portions, the officials concerned have been intimated, and adequate action will be taken soon to ensure that the road crossings and U-turn points will be safe for motorists,” he added.Most of the residents in and around, however, attribute the road-widening work to be the main culprit. When contacted, an official with the highways department, in-charge of the zone, said that it would take some time to rectify the issues till Akkarai. “If you see, such issues persisted on the Kottivakam-Palavakkam stretch before. They are now resolved, and roads are readied. The road-widening work and pipeline laying work by Metrowater have been going hand-in-hand,” the official said.“Once Metrowater finishes its portion of the work, we take over immediately. Perhaps, that could have led to the dust and debris,” he said. By the end of June, all issues would be resolved, and the public could travel hassle-free, the official added.