State Highways has widened the interState Pallikonda-Gudiyatham High Road near Katpadi on Thursday to prevent accidents.
Officials said the widening of the stretch was aimed to improve the safety of lorries travelling from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the southern districts such as Salem and Madurai, through Chittoor and Pernambut towns.
“Most vehicles from the neighbouring States use the stretch to go to southern districts in Tamil Nadu. Widening of the stretch will help prevent accidents,” Madhana Ibrahim, Junior Engineer, State Highways (Katpadi), told The Hindu.
The stretch has been widened to two lanes with paved shoulders at a cost of ₹5 crore, funded under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme 2025-26.
Collector S. Leela Alex and Assistant Executive Engineer of State Highways (Katpadi), S. Ashok Kumar, are monitoring the work.
The stretch has been widened to 10 metres, enough for two buses to use it simultaneously. “The widened stretch ensures safe travel, especially at night, as two-wheeler riders have adequate road space. Additional safety features should be provided on the route,” B. Sugan, a motorist, said.
At present, vehicles including goods laden lorries and trailer lorries have been passing through the congested stretch to go to southern districts in the State. As per records, more than 28,000 vehicles use the stretch every day.
Highways officials said that 1.8 km of the 10-km stretch between Pallikonda and Gudiyatham towns had been taken up for widening work as this portion of the road had key public facilities such as railway station, bus terminus, and government schools and offices.
Earlier, around 3 km of the stretch had been widened to ease access to Chennai-Bengaluru Highway.
Published - June 05, 2026 12:32 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
