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An expert team, led by Principal Secretary of the Highways Department, Chong Nam Zatak Siru, inspecting the ongoing widening of the BHEL Feeder Road in Ranipet district, in the presence of S. Palanivel, Chief Engineer (Construction & Maintenance), State Highways, and M.A. Rajadurai, Superintending Engineer (SE), State Highways (Vellore Circle).

The State Highways Department has expedited the work on widening the BHEL Feeder Road in Ranipet town into a four-lane stretch, and is aiming to complete the project by December.

The project is expected to bring relief to motorists, especially truck drivers, bound for industrial units in the district.

Officials of the State Highways Department, which is executing the work, said the widening of the key stretch was aimed at helping south-bound trucks, approaching from neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh through Chittoor and Tiruvalam, to reach places such as Kancheepuram, Sholinghur, and Sriperumbudur.

“Most vehicles from the neighbouring States use the stretch to reach industrial units in the district. The widening of the stretch would help prevent accidents, particularly those involving pedestrians and two-wheelers,” S. Ajith, Assistant Engineer (AE), State Highways (Ranipet), told The Hindu.

“The widened stretch would ensure safe travel, especially at night. Additional safety features should be provided on the route,” said K. Mugilan, a motorist.

Currently, vehicles including goods-laden lorries and trailer lorries are using the congested stretch to travel to the southern districts of the State. As per records, more than 28,000 vehicles use the stretch every day. Highways officials said the entire 4-km stretch was being widened as it linked public utilities such as government offices, schools, hospitals, banks, and the bus terminus.

More importantly, the widened stretch would be a shorter route by at least 10 km for motorists from Vellore’s old town, Katpadi, and Arcot to reach Sholinghur, Arakkonam, and Tiruvallur, when compared to using the Chennai–Bengaluru National Highway (NH 48).

Street lights, footpaths, reflectors, signboards, and pedestrian crossings also form part of the multi-crore project. The widened stretch has 12 new culverts and two minor bridges, as it traverses through more than four farming villages. Each culvert would be two metres wide and two metres deep.

As the stretch is a pilgrim route, especially to Tirupati, Puducherry, Tiruvannamalai, Kancheepuram, and Melmaruvathur, additional bus bays would be created to allow town and mofussil buses to halt for local commuters and long-distance travellers. Native saplings would be planted to provide more green cover on the route.

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