Widening of Old Bypass Road in Vellore begins

Widening of Old Bypass Road in Vellore to improve traffic flow and prevent flooding, funded under a road development program.

Widening of an incomplete portion of Old Bypass Road in Vellore has begun.

Officials of the Department of State Highways said the widening of the stretch was being done after Vellore Corporation handed it over to the department. The civic body had been laying water pipelines and carrying out other civic works on the stretch for the past few months. “The entire work, including laying of paver blocks, will be completed in two months. However, motorists still can use the widening portion of the stretch,” said an official of the State Highways.

Initially, the work was taken up towards Old Town due to availability of open space along the existing narrow carriageway. The work is being monitored by R. Prakash, Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADE), State Highways (Vellore). “Widening of the stretch will help motorists from Old Town to skip the congested Anna Salai and Arcot Road to reach Katpadi and Collectorate,” said S. Vembu, a motorist. 

Funded under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme 2022-23, the ₹3-crore project, will convert the existing seven metres width of the carriageway into nine metres with tiled footpath.

Old storm water drains were also replaced on both sides of the stretch. The new drain will prevent inundation in residential areas along the highway. Excess rainwater will be discharged into the nearby Nicholson canal that is connected to Palar river.

As part of the work, six Tangedco poles have been identified for its relocation. Likewise, trees that are located near the existing carriageway will be uprooted. Alongside, a wide culvert on the stretch is also being built to discharge excess rainwater into the canal. 

Areas like Shenbakkam, Mango Mandi and Ambedkar Nagar along the highway get flooded during monsoon due to slow discharge of rainwater through culverts and bridges on the stretch. Civic officials use high powered motor pumpsets to discharge stagnated rainwater in these areas.   The 9-km-long Nicholson canal is a key water source for Palar as the water channel discharges excess rainwater from nearby hillocks like Pinchamandai, Kurumalai, Nechimedu, Pallakollai, and Vellakalmalai to Palar river through a series of water channels. Local lakes like Suriyakulam, Otteri are also filled up. For residents, the canal helps prevent inundation of the town during monsoon, Corporation officials said.