LED street lights on both sides of the corridor will be installed in the coming days. Reflectors, signage, blinkers and other road safety measures are also being done.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will formally open the elevated corridor and the underpass below it on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) in Arcot town to public this week.
Officials of NHAI, which executed the work, said that the ₹22-crore underpass and elevated corridor near the tri-junction of the stretch will help to ease traffic on the busy route. It is one of the ‘black spots’ within Ranipet district limits on the stretch.
“In a day or two, vehicles, including government buses and school vans, will be allowed to use the newly built elevated corridor. Likewise, motorists can also use the new underpass below the corridor to take ‘U’ turns,” said a senior police officer.
The black spots are accident-prone areas identified based on reports given by the district police to the Collector at regular intervals. As per the plan, the two-lane new elevated corridor is 15 metres wide, with vehicles from Chennai can use the facility, whereas motorists from Bengaluru have to use the existing carriageway of the stretch.
“The new underpass will help with easy access to the local market, schools, hospitals and banks. Prior to it, residents have to travel at least 1.5 km to reach the other side of the stretch,” said B. Sukumar, a motorist.
The new underpass below the elevated corridor is 4.5 metres high and 20 metres wide. It will accommodate two-wheelers, cars and buses. Such arrangement will help to reduce the total number of the existing ‘U-turn’ turn spots on the stretch to prevent accidents. The stretch has a few government schools, healthcare centres, banks, a bus terminus and government offices.
At present, NHAI officials said that black topping of the carriageway on the elevated corridor is being done to ensure evenness of the stretch for usage. LED street lights on both sides of the corridor will be installed in the coming days. Reflectors, signage, blinkers and other road safety measures are also being done.
As per norms, each vehicular underpass, on an average, on the highway should be built at a distance of 1.5 km to help ensure safe crossing. Also, such facilities can come up at key intersections, crowded spots like food joints on the highway. Currently, the highway between Krishnagiri and Walajapet (Ranipet district), a distance of 148 km, has 19 such underpasses between Walajah and Krishnagiri, NHAI officials said.
Published – November 14, 2025 05:35 am IST
