Road bridging work on Krishnagiri-Ranipet main road in Vellore town is nearing completion

Officials of the State Highways Department said that the construction work on pillars on the Krishnagiri-Ranipet main road has started. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

More than 70 percent of the work on the ₹ 37.62 crore road over-bridge (ROB) to replace the existing manned level crossing (LC 128) on the Krishnagiri – Ranipet main road has been completed.

Officials of the state highway department, which is carrying out the multi-crore work, said the work on the construction of pillars on the Krishnagiri-Ranipet main road has started.

“The new bridge will provide motorists with safe access to nearby towns and arterial roads. The bridge will be ready by the end of December this year,” D. Mohanraj, Assistant Engineer (AE), State Highways (Vellore), told The Hindu.

The new bridge, which was initially approved in 2009, was jointly undertaken by Southern Railway and State Roads under the 2008-09 Railway Works Programme. The two-lane bridge, which was funded by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, is 767.34 meters long and 12 meters wide with at least 50 LED street lights on the bridge and its service lanes.

Paved walkways with steel railings will be built. Stairs from the bridge to the railway station in Vellore town will also be provided. The new facility should have access roads up to a distance of about 300 meters on both sides of the bridge.

For motorists, the new bridge would end the at least five-kilometre detour they usually make to get to either side of the level crossing. The railway gate remains closed for long hours due to the movement of express trains. As a result, students, office goers, farmers and traders traveled a long distance to use a similar bridge, five kilometers away from the city. “Ambulances and government buses have to take a detour to reach both sides of the railway line. The new facility has been a long-standing demand of the city’s residents,” said T Vijaya, a resident.

Highway officials said only four to five of the total 24 piers that form part of the new bridge remain to be completed. The work was sped up to avoid delays in the completion of the bridge due to the northeast monsoon. The new bridge would connect the central parts of Vellore city with the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway (NH 48). It would also allow easier access to mofussil buses traveling to Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Salem and Hosur.

Published – 23 Sep 2026 23:06 IST