State Highways begins work on Outer Ring Road in Tirupattur town

The State Highways commenced work for laying the 8.15-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) in Su. Pallipatti village on Thursday (February 12, 2026) in a bid to decongest Tirupattur town by diverting heavy vehicles onto the upcoming road.

Officials of State Highways, which will execute the ₹79-crore project, said that work will be done by NABARD and the Rural Roads (RR) wing of the State Highways. The new stretch will act as an alternative route for vehicles to reach key towns like Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Hosur, Vellore, and Tiruvannamalai without using narrow stretches in Tirupattur town.

The new stretch will also provide road connectivity to at least 20 surrounding farming villages like Athiyur, Rachamangalam, Pallipattu, Kasinaickenpatti, Achamangalam, and Kandili near Tirupattur town. “The new ORR will make stretches in Tirupattur town safer for local motorists. It will provide relief to the town from traffic congestion, which is mainly due to movement of heavy vehicles. The entire ORR work will be completed by 2027,” D. Rajathi, Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADE), State Highways (Tirupattur), told The Hindu.

Minister for Public Works E.V. Velu laid the foundation stone for the work in the presence of Collector K. Sivasoundaravalli.

At present, vehicles including goods-laden lorries and trailer lorries have been passing through the congested Tirupattur town to go to surrounding districts like Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, and Tiruvannamalai. It has not only resulted in traffic congestion but also in accidents where the majority of the victims are pedestrians.

“Two-wheelers and pedestrians have to navigate between heavy vehicles like lorries and trucks in Tirupattur town. Traffic regulation remains ineffective due to narrow width of roads, which can accommodate light vehicles like cars and auto-rickshaws,” said K. Sugan, a motorist.

Funded under the NABARD special scheme 2025-26, the new outer ring road will be a four-lane stretch with a width of at least 30 metres. Unlike in urban areas, the stretch will have only earthen stormwater drains to avoid more road space.

Culverts, street lights, footpaths, reflectors, warning sign boards, pedestrian crossings also form part of the project. It will connect key arterial stretches like Salem-Tirupattur-Vaniyambadi Road, Tirupattur-Dharmapuri Road, and Bargur-Tirupattur Road.

Highways officials said that of the total 43.41 hectares acquired for ORR work, 39.87 hectares are private lands for which the State government gave a compensation of ₹36.08 crore to landowners.