- By Deeksha Gour
- Mon, 11 Aug 2025 07:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Chennai–Tirupati Highway: Motorists travelling between Chennai and Tirupati may soon save 30 to 45 minutes on the journey, with the four-laning of a key bypass stretch nearing completion. The 18-km greenfield highway between Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur is expected to be ready by September, according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
According to a New Indian Express report, the new section links the Tiruvallur Bypass at Thirupachur with the Veppampattu Bypass at Thiruninravur, running through Thaneerkulam, Thozhur and Sevvapet. As of August 1, work on 15 km has been completed, with the remaining stretch progressing quickly.
Once finished, the road will become an access-controlled, fully fenced national highway, complete with service lanes on both sides. The project will allow travellers heading to Tiruttani and Tirupati to bypass some of the busiest bottlenecks on the Chennai–Tirupati Highway, including Tiruvallur town, Veppampattu, and the narrow Thiruninravur–Tiruvallur section, which is often reduced to two lanes.
NHAI officials say the entire 62-km route from Thiruninravur to Tirupati will eventually be a four-lane access-controlled corridor with service roads along both sides. The 18-km bypass is part of a larger widening project launched in 2022 at a cost of Rs 304 crore.
The design also accounts for future expansion, with space to upgrade the bypass to six lanes without acquiring more land. In parallel, the four-laning of the 44-km Tiruvallur to Tamil Nadu–Andhra Pradesh border stretch is under way, estimated at Rs 750 crore. Work on this section has only recently started, with around 12 per cent completed so far.
At present, the Chennai–Tirupati Highway begins at the Padi–Korattur junction and is four lanes wide up to Thiruninravur. A state highways department proposal to widen this 22-km stretch to six lanes remains stalled due to land acquisition issues.