Centre sanctions Rs 1,338 crore for Ranipet-Chittoor access-controlled highway project
The Old Madras Road is four-lane until Walajahpet from Chennai, but a section between Walajahpet via Ranipet and Chittoor remains a two-lane road
Representative Image
CHENNAI: The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said his ministry has sanctioned Rs 1,338 crore for an access-controlled highway project on NH-40, also known as the Old Madras Road, stretching 28.1 km from Walajapet/Ranipet to the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border.
The Old Madras Road is four-lane until Walajahpet from Chennai, but a section between Walajahpet via Ranipet and Chittoor remains a two-lane road.
Gadkari said that the highway will feature a four-lane main carriageway with paved shoulders and two-lane service roads on both sides. A 10-km bypass for Walajapet/Ranipet, four major bridges, and two railway overbridges are also planned.
"This corridor will enhance the connectivity between Chennai and cities like Bengaluru, Tirupati, and Vellore, home to the renowned CMC-Vellore hospital. It will stimulate local industries, including leather and small-scale engineering units supporting BHEL. With a Special Economic Zone in Ranipet set for 2025 completion, the project promises substantial economic growth while ensuring local traffic movement with 2-lane service roads," he said in a social media post.
Gadkari's announcement came after the tender for the widening of the Walajahpet/Ranipet-Chittoor section has been pending since September 2022. Initially, the NHAI had planned to construct a six-lane highway at Rs 980 crore and floated the bids for it in September 2022. However, the tender was lodged in May this year after extending the dates for bid opening over 21 times.
The NHAI revived the project as a four-lane access-controlled highway and invited tenders in July this year. "With the Union Ministry sanctioning the funds for the projects, the tender will soon be awarded," sources in NHAI said.