Work to strengthen a 23 km stretch of the Chennai-Bangalore Highway from Maduravoyal to Sriperumbudur has commenced.
The project will be carried out at a cost of ₹35 crore so that the road will have a smooth riding surface, and will have the strength to carry the enormous volume of traffic that it usually gets on a daily basis. On an average, the road witnesses over 2 lakh passenger car units each day.
According to sources in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the contractor will lay two layers of bituminous tar on the existing road. They will also install additional signages and will have to complete the work within a period of six months.
This was being taken up following a direction from the Madras High Court, the official added. The NHAI had started making improvements to junctions, including the Vanagaram, Velappanchavady and Parivakkam ones.
Lighting not included
However, the proposal will not include lighting facilities, something that the road is in dire need of. Sangeetha Raghunathan, who frequently visits Kancheepuram, said she preferred the Padappai route despite its cattle menace.
“Although that route also does not have lighting, it is better that this one. Driving at night on the Bangalore road is tough. I take it only if I drive in the afternoon,” she said.
Meanwhile, the NH wing of the State Highways Department has begun marking roadsides to remove encroachments for widening the facility into six lanes along with service roads on either side. “We have enough land with us. But it has been encroached on in many places. We will clear them shortly,” an official said.
