Seepage of water mixed with sewage through the retaining walls of the underpass at Melapudur in Tiruchi is posing a threat to two-wheeler riders in the city.

The continued seepage has led to the growth of moss, making the slushy surface slippery. Two-wheeler riders often slip and fall down while negotiating the spot.

Motorists say that since the spot is located on the descent, falling down exposes them to the grave danger of being hit by speeding vehicles coming from behind.

“I lost control of the vehicle while passing through the spot and fell down before I could realise what was happening. Fortunately, there was no vehicle coming from behind and I escaped with bruises,” said S. Bhaskar, a city resident, who slipped and fell at the spot recently.

The underpass, which was built by the Highways Department and Railways several decades ago, is an important connecting link in the city as it is located between Tiruchi Junction and Palakkarai railway stations. The railways had recently replaced the old girders with new steel girders with rails.

However, poor maintenance of the subway has been posing problems to road users. Frequent flooding has been a major headache for road users as even light showers leave the subway inundated. In recent years, there have been instances when heavy vehicles, including buses, being stranded in the middle of the subway because drivers were unable to judge the depth of the water. Motor pumpsets meant to pump out the water often do not work at the subway that is maintained by the Highways Department.

When contacted about the slippery surface on the underpass, a Highways Department official said that they had informed Tiruchi Corporation to address the issue as the problem was due to a leakage from an underground pipeline.

Motorists also complain that they have to scamper across or halt their vehicles whenever a train passes over the bridge overhead to escape the discharges from the train toilets and urge the Railways to address the problem.