MG Road, Thiruvananthapuram
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Mahatma Gandhi Road is an important north-south road in Trivandrum City. Its southern beginning point is at Overbridge Junction near Central Railway Station and ends at VJT Hall junction, near Palayam in the north. It is one of the main business streets in the city and always carries heavy traffic. Earlier, the road to the south of Overbridge Junction, till East Fort Junction, also was a part of MG Road, but was later renamed, after widening to 6-lane, to Swatantra Sarani (or Free Way), though it is still known by its former name. The Fort can still be seen to the west even now and is a bustling business area. The road continues further southwards as Kovalam Road. Its southern extremes constitute the main wholesale business district of Trivandrum, namely Chalai Bazaar. To the west is the famous Padmanabha Swamy Temple, inside the fort, the nucleus around which Trivandrum evolved in the 18th Century. The City Bus Stand is also located in this location. The second entry of Trivandrum Central Railway Station also opens, through Power House Road, to MG Road at Pazhavangady, which is also famous for its Ganesha temple.
North of Overbridge Junction, the road is in various stages of being widened to 6-lane width. It is taken up as a part of the Capital Road Improvement Project, and various demolished buildings can be seen on both sides of the road even now. The project is expected to complete in a year.
The road forks into two, catering for one way traffic in front of Victoria Jubilee Town Hall. Each path carries a traffic three lanes. The south-bound traffic comes through the front of the famous Connemara Market whereas the north-bound traffic turns left, and circles the traffic circle in front of University Senate Hall and proceeds to the north of the city.
Being the capital, the road is often blocked by the protesters during different protest marches. The entire city often used to face the difficulty as MG Road was the main arterial road. To overcome this problem, now, an underpass runs below the above mentioned one-way roads, starting from Senate Hall Circle, running below the Martyrs' Square and ending to the east of Palayam, to the north of Connemara Market, on the main road to the Railway Station.
Important landmarks of the city like the Secretariat, housing various government offices, University College and Pazhavangadi temple are located on this 2 km stretch.
The main bus stops located on the road are:
Northwards: East Fort Ayurveda College Statue Palayam Southwards: VJT Hall Statue Overbridge Junction East Fort
