CMWSSB undertakes machine hole work on Greams Road

The top five feet of a 28-feet-high machine hole had to be reconstructed; given the traffic situation on Greams Road in Chennai, CMWSSB had to carry out this work on a war footing

Greams Road comes across as narrow to motorists at the best of times. Throw an infrastructure into that space and cordon off the work site, motorists would wish they had to enter the eye of the space instead of that constricted space on Greams Road.

When part of the machine hole on Greams Road imploded, CMWSSB had its work cut out. The machine hole had to be reconstructed, the workers moving about with winged feet.

According to a CMWSSB official connected with the work, part of the 28-feet-high machine hole had collapsed, its door and structural wall imploding and thereby gumming up the works. The top portion of the machine hole, up to five feet, had to be reconstructed. The official says the rest of the machine hole was not only intact but strong enough to continue in its existing form, but without the collapsed top section being reconstructed, the entire machine hole was going to be of little use.

First up, the collapsed portion of the machine hole had to be removed, and machinery was pressed into action towards this end, the CMWSSB official says. And following this immediate intervention, construction had to be carried out on a war footing, given the traffic situation on the road, he adds.

Reportedly, the work was carried out round the clock.

One of the images is from January 2, 2024, when work was under way. The other one comes from January 4, when the work had been wrapped up.