Commute

Apologies for not updating sooner, there was a trip to Ireland for Patty's day, and Stonehenge for the equinox and St Paul's for Good Friday. The Turner folks got all funny about it, so there's been that to deal with back here. But between yoga and gym and the 2 hour commute each way to the job site, the blog has suffered. Sorry.

So yoga and the gym are great, and the commute may get better starting today. There's one big road in Chennai, the Anna Salai, named for an old politician. Apparently he built a major road in every major city in India. It is anywhere from 2 to 6 lanes wide and up to 10 lanes of traffic will hurtle, or creep down it.
There are very few traffic lights, and even when there are, traffic snarls terribly with people turning right from the left lane and all that (We're on the other side of the road here thanks to the British) So to fix the problem, the Chennai Corporation (city) builds 'fly-overs'. I called it a viaduct and they all looked at me funny.

The Gundy flyover, presently under construction is at a bend in the Anna Salai and two branch roads that lead to major sections of town. Navigating through the intersection with buses and bull carts and crowds of pedestrians and cockroach like pedicabs, and the changing construction lanes and what not is a nightly circus. One night it took 90 minutes just to get through that intersection.

So the thing has been under construction for 7 years and is far from complete, but they are opening the main span today (we think). As we came by it yesterday it was all lit up. Yes that picture is not of a shopping center canopy, but of the concrete road bridge festooned with lights. What's more, the little line of lights at the top: run! Talk about your distraction!

They like to celebrate here. (Especially the politicians!)