Textiles Minister inaugurates new Bypass Road in Ranipet

The State Highways has opened the ₹35 crore new four-lane Bypass Road between Tajpura and Veppur villages on Arcot - Villupuram High Road (SH 04) near Arcot town in Ranipet for public use on Wednesday.

Officials of State Highways, which maintains the stretch, said that the new stretch will be an alternative route to reach Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) at Veppur village on the border of Arcot - Vellore towns as the travel time is lesser.

“The existing narrow Arcot Main Road will be less congested after opening of the new Bypass Road as trucks and lorries will use the new stretch, which ends the ordeal of motorists, especially two-wheelers,” said R. Sekar, a motorist.

Minister for Handlooms and Textiles and Ranipet MLA R. Gandhi inaugurated the new Bypass Road. Collector J.U. Chandrakala, R. Krishnaswamy, Superintending Engineer (SE), State Highways (Tiruvannamalai), and S. Selvakumar, Divisional Engineer (DE), State Highways (Ranipet) were present.

Funded under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme (CRIDP) 2024-25, the new 3.46 km-Bypass Road has a 10-metre-wide carriageway, 1.2- metre-wide median, footpath, LED streetlights, and high mast lamps. 

As part of safety features, the new stretch also has road studs, reflectors, signages, blinkers, and CCTV cameras will also form part of the work. “As per estimates, more than 9,000 vehicles, mainly trucks and lorries, pass through Arcot town to go to industrial corridors like Chennai and Bengaluru. A total of 9.36 hectares was acquired for the work,” T. Murugan, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways (Rural Roads), told The Hindu.

Highways officials said the new stretch connects three key State Highways stretches, including Krishnagiri - Ranipet High Road (SH 24) and Arcot - Kannamangalam High Road (SH 29). By providing an alternative route for commercial vehicles, the new bypass road will decongest Arcot town including the bus terminus from existing traffic snarls in the town, traders said.

Also, the new bypass road provides a short route for motorists to reach Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah, new campus of Christian Medical College (CMC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) in Ranipet and key towns like Melvisharam and Vellore.