The proposed 24-metre-wide Outer Ring Road was designed to bypass several congested stretches by linking Nallampalli, Seshampatti, Laligam, Venkatampatti, Ettimarthupatti, Annasagaram and Rajapettai. To study the need for the project Rs seven million (mn) was sanctioned during the planning stage and that sum was intended to assess feasibility and alignment. The route was one of the principal demands from residents coping with rising vehicle volumes on NH 44 and state highways.
A local truck driver told the newspaper that vehicles from Salem currently must enter Dharmapuri before dispersing to Harur or Krishnagiri, which increases congestion on urban and highway links and that the ring road was expected to ease bottlenecks. Another resident noted that municipal boundary expansion and foundational work at the SIPCOT industrial park had heightened the need for improved road infrastructure to support industrial growth. Both residents expressed concern at the absence of a firm timeline following the original proposal.
State highways department officials explained that implementing the ring road while major works proceed on NH 44 and NH 844, particularly near Thoppur and Gundalapatti, would risk bringing traffic to a standstill and therefore the two projects should be completed first. They added that there had been no formal announcement and that the proposal was not an immediate priority for execution. The outcome will depend on coordination between state and central agencies and clearance of ongoing national highway works.