Expert team inspects ₹102.83-crore Outer Ring Road work near Katpadi

Senior engineers of the State Highways Department inspecting the ongoing work for the Outer Ring Road in Periyathur village on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement An expert team comprising senior engineers of the Quality Control (QC) wing of the State Highways Department assessed the quality of the ongoing ₹102.83-crore Outer Ring Road, in Periyathur village on Wednesday.Officials of the State Highways Department, which executes the multi-crore work, said that the new stretch will help decongest areas located around Katpadi railway station by diverting heavy vehicles to the new stretch to reach Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) at Ranipet. S. Raj Durai, Superintendent Engineer (SE) was accompanied by E. Dhanasekaran, Divisional Engineer (Quality Control), State Highways (Vellore) and R. Kameshwaran, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), State Highways. “The new ORR will decongest Katpadi and surrounding villages. The entire work will be completed in 2027,” S. Poovarasan, Assistant Engineer (AE), State Highways (Vellore), told The Hindu. The team assessed the quality of raw materials used, total length and width of the roads, thickness of bitumen layer, and quantity of blue metal used to level uneven spots on the stretches.Funded under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme (CRIDP) 2025-26, the new Outer Ring Road will be a two-lane stretch with a width of at least 10 metres. Unlike in urban areas, the stretch will have only earthen stormwater drains to save road space. Streetlights, footpaths, reflectors, warning sign boards, pedestrian crossings also form part of the multi-crore work. A rail overbridge will be built near Katpadi railway station. The new stretch will also have 32 culverts as it passes through more than 10 farming villages. Each culvert will be two-metre-wide and two metres in depth. 43.52 hectares were acquired for the new stretch.  Once completed, the new stretch will help goods-laden vehicles especially from southern districts to go to areas like Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Hosur without passing through Katpadi. In other words, Highways officials said the new stretch will end a de-tour of at least 15 km for motorists. The new stretch will also provide road connectivity to at least 20 surrounding farming villages, including Kal Pudur, Dharapadavedu, Karikiri, Kandimedu, Arumparuthi, Karnampattu, Arambakkam, and Perumugai. Published - September 10, 2026 05:30 am IST