Erode’s Bargur Hills route closed to heavy vehicles due to road work in Karnataka

With road re-laying works commencing from Four Road in Kollegal taluk to Kargekandi on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, heavy vehicles have been barred from operating through Bargur Hills in Erode from Sunday (June 22, 2025) evening until July 5.

The Anthiyur-Thamaraikarai-Bargur-Kollegal stretch is a major inter-State route frequently used by lorries and other trucks for transporting goods between the two States. However, the section between Four Road and Kargekandi has been in a non-motorable condition for a long time, prompting repeated demands from road users for it to be re-laid. Acting on this, the Karnataka government initiated repair works and informed Erode District Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara not to allow heavy vehicles with more than six wheels to ply on the stretch from the evening of June 22.

On Sunday, traffic police personnel at the Chellapampalayam forest check-post at the foothills of Bargur Hills alerted lorry drivers about the restrictions and advised them to take alternative routes to reach destinations in Karnataka.

A lorry driver expressed frustration, saying that being informed at the last minute caused hardship, as consignments had already been booked for delivery in Karnataka. He added that using alternate routes such as Dhimbam Road or the Mettur-Krishnagiri-Hosur route was not viable due to high toll charges and increased travel distance.

He further noted that the road has remained severely damaged for several years, making travel difficult, time-consuming, and harmful to their vehicles, and added the repair work should have been undertaken much earlier.