CHENNAI: Three years after a proposal was submitted, the first phase of converting Dharmapuri-Neraluru National Highway (NH) into a four-lane is set to commence soon.
This development on the Tamil Nadu-Karnata border assumes significance as it will enable motorists from southern districts to reach Bengaluru via Salem and Dharmapuri, without entering Krishnagiri, thereby cutting the travel by 25 km.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) awarded the contract to a Gujarat-based company recently. In the first phase, the 23 km stretch from Neraluru (Attebele)-Thorapalli Agraharam (in Krishnagiri) of NH 844 will be widened to four lanes and the project cost is estimated at Rs 1,320.73 crore. The widening is being done under Bharatmala Pariyojana.
The new four-lane will have a 1.5-meter median, too.It will also decongest the Hosur-Krishnagiri section of Bengaluru bypass, which handles 1.5 lakh vehicles a day. Given that Thoppur-Mettur-Bhavani-Erode NH has already been handed over to the State government for four-laning, this widening work will benefit the travellers on the Coimbatore-Bengaluru section.