The State Highways Department has opened the ₹90-crore Sathuvachari-VIT High Road, off Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 48), near the Office of Collectorate in Vellore, to the public on Sunday, bringing relief to hundreds of motorists in the area.

Officials said the new four-lane stretch connected Sathuvachari and Kangeyanallur village near the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) campus. It will help decongesting traffic in Katpadi and the surrounding villages that occurs mainly due to the movement of trucks and other heavy vehicles on Old Katpadi Road.

“The new stretch will also help heavy vehicles, including trucks, tipper lorries, and tankers, skip the congested Old Katpadi Road to reach NH 48. Such diversion of vehicles will also reduce traffic congestion around Green Circle roundabout,” R. Poovarasan, Assistant Engineer, State Highways, told The Hindu.

A new bridge across the river was also built with a footpath and a median. “Reflectors, blinkers, and pedestrian markings, among other things should be installed at the new stretch to keep motorists safe, especially at night. The end of the stretch should be strengthened to prevent the accidental fall of vehicles from the carriageway,” said R. Vineeth, a motorist.

Sathuvachari-VIT Main Road is 15 metres wide, including 2.5 metres of median. It will help more vehicles use the route over the two flyovers across the Palar, which connect Vellore’s Old Town with Katpadi. As per estimates, the new stretch can be used by at least 17,250 vehicles every day.

The roadwork also involved the construction of two minor bridges and 20 culverts on the route. Also, the new four-lane bridge, which is a part of the new road, is 475 metres long and 15 metres wide. It will be at least three metres higher than the existing Katpadi flyovers, which were built in 2009, to prevent any damage to its structure and inundation to its carriageway. In other words, the bridge has been built at a height of 20 ft from the dry river bed.

For residents and motorists, the new stretch will provide the shortest route to travel between Katpadi and Vellore. Vehicles can take this route to reach NH 48, bypassing the congested Katpadi flyovers.