LED street lighting on both sides of the corridor will be installed in the coming days. Reflectors, markings, blinkers and other road safety measures are also implemented. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will formally open the elevated corridor and underpass on the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway (NH-48) in Arcot to the public this week.
Officials of NHAI, which was carrying out the work, said the ₹22 crore underpass and elevated corridor near the tri-junction of the stretch will help ease traffic on the busy route. It is one of the ‘black spots’ within Ranipet district on the stretch.
“In a day or two, vehicles including government buses and school vans will be able to use the newly constructed elevated corridor. Similarly, motorists can use the new underpass under the corridor to take a ‘U’ turn,” said a senior police officer.
Black spots are accident-prone areas that have been identified on the basis of reporting by the district police to the collector at regular intervals. As per the plan, the new two-lane corridor is 15 meters wide, the facilities can be used by vehicles from Chennai, while motorists from Bengaluru have to use the existing carriageway of the stretch.
“The new underpass will help in easy access to the local market, schools, hospitals and banks. Before it, residents have to travel at least 1.5 km to reach the other side of the stretch,” said B. Sukumar, a motorist.
The new underpass under the elevated corridor is 4.5 meters high and 20 meters wide. It accommodates two-wheelers, cars and buses. Such an arrangement will help to reduce the total number of existing “pivot” points on the section in order to avoid accidents. The section has several government schools, health centers, banks, a bus stand and government offices.
At present, NHAI officials said that black surfacing of the road on the elevated corridor is being done to ensure the stretch is level for use. LED street lighting on both sides of the corridor will be installed in the coming days. Reflectors, markings, blinkers and other road safety measures are also implemented.
According to the norms, every underpass for vehicles on the highway should be built at a distance of 1.5 km on an average to ensure safe crossing. Such devices can also appear at key intersections, in crowded places such as highway restaurants. At present, the expressway between Krishnagiri and Walajapet (Ranipet district), a distance of 148 km, has 19 such underpasses between Walajah and Krishnagiri, NHAI officials said.
Published – 14 Nov 2025 05:35 IST
