State Highways begins widening of Vellore – Tirupattur main road near new airport

The State Highways has commenced widening of the existing two-lane Vellore-Tirupattur main road (SH-122) into four lanes at Abdullapuram village near the under-construction airport in Vellore.

Officials of State Highways, which maintains the stretch, said that widening of the stretch, especially between Abdullapuram (Vellore) and Alangayam (Tirupattur), would provide an alternative route for motorists as they can skip the busy Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) in reaching small towns and farming villages along the route much faster. “Widening of the stretch will help heavy vehicles like trucks and lorries to use the route to reach nearby districts and towns. The entire work will be completed by 2026,” S. Ashokan, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways, told The Hindu.

Accompanied by Vellore MP D.M. Kathir Anand, K. Murali, Superintendent Engineer (SE), State Highways (Tiruvannamalai) and N.R. Dhanasekaran, Divisional Engineer (DE), State Highways (Vellore), Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu laid the foundation stone for the work. “As part of the widening, adequate safety measures like reflectors, speed breakers, CCTV cameras, and street lights should be in place to ensure the safety of road users, including pedestrians,” said B. Pandi, a motorist.

Funded under the Chief Minister Road Development Plan (CMRDP) 2024-25, the widening work will be done at a cost of ₹50 crore. Of a total of 79.50 kms, the stretch will be widened to a distance of eight kms from the existing seven metres width to 10 metres. The work also involves 21 minor bridges, seven bus bays, widened stormwater drains, a median, a retaining wall, crash barriers, and a footpath. Initially, the stretch will be widened near the under-construction airport to allow smooth flow of traffic on the route.

As per estimates, more than 23,000 vehicles, mainly trucks and container lorries, between Bengaluru and Chennai use the stretch every day to go to industrial corridors in Kancheepuram and Chennai. The widening work will help the easy transport of cargo by trucks and lorries on the route. It will also ease traffic movement on other arterial stretches like the Chittoor-Cuddalore Highway and Chennai-Bengaluru Highway. The stretch is also a key bus route for commuters in Vellore and Tirupattur districts.

Highways officials said a total of 622 trees on the route will be uprooted for the work. Also, Tangedco will relocate 227 electrical poles and four transformers for widening work, for which ₹1.6 crore has been paid as shifting charges. As part of safety features, the widened stretch will have road studs, reflectors, signages, blinkers and CCTV cameras will also form part of the work.