Works on Vellore NH to be over by May, says NHAI
ROBs are being built at three locations between Vellore and Wallajahpet and similar works are under way at 34 locations between Wallajahpet and Sriperumbudur, NHAI said.
Traffic congestion near the ROB site at Perumugai
VELLORE: The travellers of Vellore-Chennai route have to put up with the extended travel time, additional fuel usage, and back breaking journey for another six months with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) planning to complete the ongoing Road Overbridge (ROB) and lane widening works on Wallajahpet–Sriperumbudur stretch by May, next year.
ROBs are being built at three locations between Vellore and Wallajahpet and similar works are under way at 34 locations between Wallajahpet and Sriperumbudur, NHAI said.
“Travelling to Chennai from Vellore by bus around two and a half hours earlier, but now, we reach Chennai only after 4 hours,” TNSTC bus crews said. Another worry for cash-strapped TNSTC is the additional fuel usage due to frequently changing gears at diversions. “Earlier, we used around 100 litres on such trips but now it has increased to around 110 litre,” drivers said.
But, what aggravates car drivers is that service roads, which are now used for diversions, are full of potholes in addition to having speed breakers that slows down traffic. “When heavy multi axle vehicles take time to traverse such stretches it results in vehicles behind them backing up for nearly a kilometre,” Gurunathan a local businessman said. “Travel time will come down and back breaking movement through potholes can both be avoided if diversion roads are good and without breakers,” he added.
When asked about his, NHAI officials said, “We plan to end all ongoing works by May next year and contractors were clearly given instruction for the same. Earlier, we faced problems as some contractors left us. There were issues in getting sand to fill up the approach roads on both sides of newly constructed ROBs. This problem was resolved as the state PWD now provides us said from irrigation tanks, which were recently desilted.”
Asked about the bad condition of diversion roads, the official said “we have to put up speed breakers as two-wheelers and occasionally even cars use the road under the completed ROB which can cause accidents.”
Unwilling to accept this, a users said “traffic on the NH is non-stop and everyone knows this. Hence it is for cars/bikes to slow down and cross and this cannot be an excuse to slow down main line traffic.”