Officials said more than 80% of the bridge work has been completed, including the initial bitumen coating on the new bridges’ roadways
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday opened two under-construction bridges on the Chennai – Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) in Ranipet to facilitate traffic flow on the route after the service lane was damaged due to rain.
Officials of NHAI, which maintains the stretch, said the under-construction bridges near the SSS College Of Arts, Science and Management in Arcot city and the new campus of Christian Medical College (CMC) in Puttuthakku village near Melvisharam town in Ranipet were opened for vehicular movement after the service road towards Bengaluru was seriously damaged damaged due to continuous rain. “The opening of the under-construction bridges on the stretch is a welcome measure as the service lane remains risky especially at night,” said J. Akash, a motorist.
Each elevated bridge will cost an average of ₹22 crore in Puttuthakku village and Arcot city. The elevated section of the highway will have underpasses in these locations so that residents can cross the section safely. Bridges under construction are built at accident-prone locations, also known as “black spots”.
These black spots are accident prone spots which are based on the reports given by the police to the district administration. According to the plan, the new underpass under the two elevated sections of the section will be 4.5 meters high and 20 meters wide. Motorists said the service lane, which is six meters wide, especially towards Bengaluru, has been crawling for over a month. The heavily damaged section endangered motorists, including ambulances and school vehicles, and pedestrians.
In addition, excess rainwater from abandoned stone quarries in the area was being discharged into residential areas and key sections including the service road. This resulted in knee-deep waterlogging on the service track of the section.
Acting on the instructions of Collector JU Chandrakala, the police have asked the NHAI to open the under-construction bridges on the stretch to ease traffic on the route and also ensure the safety of motorists.
Officials said more than 80% of the bridge work has been completed, including the initial bitumen coating on the new bridges’ roadways. The remaining works are the strengthening of the retaining wall of the bridge, the final asphalt layer and the installation of public lighting on the bridge. All work on the two bridges will be completed by December.
Published – 22 Oct 2025 19:26 IST
