The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday on Saturday restored the service lane of the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH-48) near Green Circle, a roundabout below the elevated corridor, in Vellore for safe movement of vehicles after the stretch got inundated due to the breach of a lake.Officials of State Highways, which maintains culverts on services lanes of the stretch, said that overnight rain since Monday has inundated many low-lying areas within Vellore Corporation limits, including Shenbakkam and Kansalpet, along the stretch.Water level in Surya Kulam lake near the fort complex also increased. “The existing storm water drains, especially near the service lane, which is six metres wide on the stretch, were unable to discharge excess rainwater from these low-lying areas to Palar River. The rainwater got stagnant on the low-level road space on the service lane near the new bus terminus,” a State Highways official told The Hindu.Motorists said that water-logging on the service lane especially near the culvert remains a perennial problem during rain. All vehicles including ambulances, government buses and school vans from Ranipet, Old Town in Vellore, Ambur, Arcot and Tirupattur have to use the service lane to reach Katpadi and its surrounding areas.Traffic on the stretch was hit since Friday evening as vehicles were moving slowly on the route. Poor illumination on the service lane was also cited as a reason for traffic snarls as motorists were unable to drive safely. “The District Collector should find a permanent solution for water logging on the service lane as motorists including women and senior citizens have to risk themselves when using the inundated stretch during night,” said B. Manjula, a motorist.Along with Corporation staff, NHAI officials roped high-power pumpsets to discharge stagnated rainwater. After the day-long operation, water on the service lane receded. Corporation officials said that NHAI will soon start constructing new drains on the service lane towards the Collectorate office for a distance of around 1.2 kms. Old narrow drains on the stretch have been demolished. The new drains will be one metre wide and 1.5 metres in depth. It will be connected to the existing culvert on the stretch to get discharged into the river. The work is expected to start in the coming weeks.Published - September 21, 2025 05:45 am IST