New pedestrian subway on Chennai – Bengaluru Highway in Vellore will be ready by October, says NHAI

The new ₹7.5-crore pedestrian subway below the elevated carriageway of Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH-44) near Green Circle, a roundabout, in Vellore town will be ready for public use by October-end.

Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that the new underpass will end a de-tour of one km for motorists and pedestrians to reach Old Town and Katpadi across Palar River in the town. “The new subway will be ready for public use in a month’s time. Barricades will be erected around Green Circle to prevent jaywalking that results in accidents, and to encourage pedestrians to use the subway to safely cross the junction,” said an NHAI official.

NHAI officials said that at present, electrical work and plastering of tiles on the wall of the new subway is under way. The tiled floor will be laid with a separate path for persons with disabilities. “The new subway was a long-standing demand of road users in the town as they find it challenging to cross the junction safely, especially during rush hour. The new facility will end our ordeal,” said R. Priya, a resident.

NHAI officials said that the new pedestrian subway will be 25-metre-long, 5.5-metre-wide and 3-metre-high. It will have facilities to discharge excess rainwater, CCTV cameras, LED streetlights, reflectors, sign boards and ramps for persons with disabilities. Steel railings will be provided to ensure safety of pedestrians, especially senior citizens, women, and children.

The Green Circle roundabout witnessed an average of 5-8 accidents, mostly involving pedestrians, every month. Pedestrians, who were mostly commuters from the new bus terminus, risk themselves in crossing the busy stretch. 

NHAI officials said that the work for the new subway was started in 2022. The subway was expected to be completed in a year. However, continuous flow of vehicles in all directions had slowed down the work.  

According to a study done by the district police, on an average, 80-100 vehicles pass near the Green Circle, below the elevated bridge, every minute.  

NHAI officials said that as per norms, each underpass, on an average, on the highway should be built at a distance of 1.5 km to enable safe crossing. Such facilities could also come up at key intersections and crowded spots such as food joints on the highway. Currently, the highway between Krishnagiri and Walajapet (Ranipet district), a distance of 148 km, had over 20 such underpasses.