Image Source: Times of India
The 100-km NH-48 corridor from Maduravoyal to Walajahpet, part of the Chennai–Bengaluru highway, has become one of Tamil Nadu’s most dangerous stretches despite collecting more than ₹1,000 crore in toll over the past decade. The ₹1,500-crore six-laning project, initiated 13 years ago, remains unfinished, leaving lakhs of commuters navigating narrow diversions, unlit work zones and pothole-ridden surfaces where multiple flyovers and underpasses have been left incomplete.
Motorists say the stretch, especially after dark, has turned into a high-risk zone. Long sections narrow abruptly where elevated structures are under construction, and service lanes carry bumper-to-bumper traffic as heavy vehicles squeeze past barricaded or abandoned worksites. Only seven flyovers have been opened so far. Four more are structurally complete but not accessible to the public.
Why the Project Stalled
NHAI attributes the prolonged delay to contractor failures and state-level bottlenecks.
- The first contractor was removed in 2016 for slow progress.
- A second contractor, appointed in 2018, abandoned work in 2021 citing a dispute over fly ash supply, saying material that was contractually supposed to be free was being sold at ₹205 per tonne.
- After starting three flyovers and restoring parts of the Kancheepuram–Walajapet road, this contractor stopped work citing increasing costs and logistics hurdles.
Following this, NHAI split the project. The 30-km Maduravoyal–Sriperumbudur portion was handed over to the Tamil Nadu Highways Department, while the 36-km Sriperumbudur–Kancheepuram stretch was re-tendered. A third contractor began work in January 2025 but has made little progress, leaving around 20 km in a hazardous condition where speeds often drop to 20 kmph.
State of the Road Today
The highway passes through the state’s largest industrial hub, where manufacturing units say transport delays and damaged consignments have become routine. Around Sipcot, three major grade-separators remain halted mid-construction. At Vedal, vehicles were jammed on service lanes even in mid-afternoon. Similar situations exist at Sunguvarchathram, Nandimedu, Murukkanthangal and Attuputhur.
In many sections, construction dust blankets the road at night. Near Walajahpet, motorists have already begun using an under-construction flyover though the surface is unfinished. The newly relaid stretches between Poonamallee and Sriperumbudur are already riddled with craters across 10 km, and bus operators say accidents are now reported almost every week.
Police units across Kancheepuram and Vellore districts describe the corridor as full of blind spots, with inadequate lighting and poorly placed barricades. District-level crash data indicates close to one accident every two kilometres on the Walajahpet side. Last year, the Ottiyambakkam–Walajahpet belt alone recorded 19 fatalities. Workers and officers describe the Kundrathur–Sriperumbudur section as especially dangerous after sunset due to fog, poorly lit work areas and missing warning signs.
In the last decade, the @NHAI_Official has collected over Rs 1000 crore in toll at the NH-48 stretch from Maduravoyal to Wallajah. In return, what they’ve given lakhs of commuters is a DEATH TRAP, that’s called a highway.
Driving down the 100km stretch of NH 48 from Maduravoyal… pic.twitter.com/Opmo3jvcUu
— Omjasvin M D (@omjasvinMD) November 12, 2025
NHAI’s Latest Response
Responding to criticism, NHAI said the 4-laning was completed earlier and that the six-laning is being executed in three packages:
Maduravoyal–Sriperumbudur (23.2 km):
Completed by the State Highways Department and currently under Defect Liability Period. Potholes and surface failures are being repaired, but work has been delayed. NHAI has floated bids for emergency repairs and said the issue is before the Madras High Court. Electrical cable replacements and lighting works are targeted for completion by December 2025.
Sriperumbudur–Karaipettai (34.02 km):
Delayed due to non-availability of fly ash. Of this, 17.19 km is complete. Remaining portions, mainly approach roads to structures, have been re-awarded with a deadline of October 2026. Overlay work, signage and diversions are under way.
Karaipettai–Walajahpet (36.08 km):
Largely complete except for minor works near the toll plaza and a short service-road stretch affected by local issues. Safety features and lighting in built-up areas will be operational once power connections are provided.
NHAI added that tolls on the corridor remain at 75% of the notified rate since work is ongoing. The agency is also planning a six-lane elevated corridor from Maduravoyal to the Outer Ring Road within the current financial year, with a proposed extension to Sriperumbudur alongside the Chennai Metro Rail alignment.
NHAI would like to share that the stretch from Maduravoyal to Walajahpet on NH-48 is being upgraded in phases to improve road quality and ensure smoother travel. The 4-laning of this section was completed earlier, and widening to 6-laning is now being implemented under three… pic.twitter.com/93xGwI7v25
— NHAI (@NHAI_Official) November 13, 2025
Traffic, Safety and Toll Revenue
The Nemili and Walajahpet toll plazas together generate nearly ₹90 crore annually. Over 35,000 vehicles use some parts of the corridor every day, and bus and truck operators report average speeds of just 20–30 kmph due to potholes, speed breakers placed every 400 metres, and constant lane shifts.
State officials maintain that damage is mainly due to heavy-vehicle load and say the NH Wing has completed its assigned sections. Police forces across districts continue to push NHAI to accelerate work as pedestrian safety too has become a concern, highlighted again after a five-year-old was killed at Poonamallee this week.
Despite phased tendering, emergency overlays and repeated assurances, large parts of the Chennai–Walajahpet highway remain half-built, dimly lit and hazardous, leaving motorists paying tolls to navigate a corridor that continues to function as a construction site rather than a national highway.
(Source: Times of India)
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