The Vellore-Chittoor Road connecting via Katpadi is set to get a makeover. The National Highway Authority of India has started rebuilding the road divider between Tarapadaveedu near Katpadi and Green Circle in Vellore town. The work, which was expected to cost ₹26 crore, began a month ago. It is scheduled for completion in the next three months, before the onset of the north-east monsoon.
The road will have ‘crash barriers’ to prevent jay walking and to deter motorists taking turns at will, an official said. The road also known as the Chittoor-Cuddalore Road, connects Tarapadaveedu, Katpadi, Kalpudhur, Kunjanur in Tamil Nadu and Perumakuppam, Bommasamudram, Naraharipet, Gudipala, and Gangasagaram before reaching Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh.
The National Highways Department took over the maintenance of the Cuddalore-Chittoor road and the Katpadi-Gudiyatham road in 2010 from the State Highways Department.
Meanwhile, work on blacktopping of the road between Katpadi road overbridge near the railway junction and Green Circle would begin in the next few days, an official said. Tenders for the same have been finalised. The road would be blacktopped to the existing width and traffic would be diverted to one side of the road in small stretches, he added.
Widening of the road from Bagayam to Adukkamparai into four-lane will be taken up soon. The Arni Road in Vellore connects Arni, Polur and the temple town of Tiruvannamalai and Tirukoilur.
Traders and residents on Arni Road want the National Highways authorities to take steps to remove encroachments on the stretch between Vellore Town and Sankaranpalayam to provide free space for motorists. Not a day passes without an accident involving motorists or pedestrians on this stretch as this was the only road connecting Vellore with Tiruvannamalai, they pointed out
