Pedestrian underpass to come up to help reduce accidents on Chennai-Bengaluru Highway

In a bid to reduce accidents on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) together with Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) will start development of a pedestrian underpass on the freeway in Sathuvachari, Vellore district.

Residents are elated as many, together with kids, have misplaced their lives whereas crossing the street, as an current smaller subway is unsafe to use.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the brand new pedestrian underpass was carried out on Wednesday. Similar underpasses will likely be coming up in three different locations in Vellore district.

D.M. Kathir Anand, Member of Parliament, Vellore Constituency, A. Shanmuga Sundaram, Vellore Collector, Narayana Reddy, Project Director, NHAI, P. Durairaj, Projector Director, L&T and different officers took half within the ceremony.

The underpass, to be constructed at a value of shut to ₹2 crore, will likely be 25 metres in size, 5.5 metres in width and three metres in top. It may have tools to pump out water, CCTV cameras and will likely be properly illuminated. “The work is expected to be completed in six months,” stated an official from L&T.

Mr. Kathir Anand stated that the Sathuvacheri level on the Chennai-Bengaluru freeway has been an issue for over a decade. “A lot of accidents take place at this place as pedestrians cross the road through a gap in the barricades. After the road was widened, vehicles ply at a very high speed on the road and the lives of pedestrians are at risk,” he stated.

Mr. Anand stated that he met with Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and submitted a illustration for the underpass which was extra possible than a flyover. “A feasibility study was also conducted. L&T will be constructing the underpass and maintaining it,” he added.

Similar underpasses will likely be constructed in Perumugai, Kandaneri and Vettuvanam. “The proposal for the facility in Perumugai is already approved and work is expected to begin next month,” stated a NHAI official.

Residents blissful

Sathuvacheri residents stated that the underpass will likely be of nice help. “Two of our students died in road accidents a few years ago while crossing the road. It is a very dangerous point as vehicles zip past the stretch at great speed. There is a vehicle underpass situated some distance away from the new one. But a sewer line runs inside it and people cannot use it. Besides, it is very unsafe as it is not well illuminated and anti-social elements gather there in the night,” stated Selva Ganesh, a instructor on the Sathuvachari Panchayat Union Middle School.