The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reinstated the widening works for the 28-km stretch from Walajahpet to Ranipet up to the Andhra Pradesh border on the new NH 40, also known as Old Madras Road, by reducing the number of lanes from six to four. NHAI has issued a call for bids to construct a four-lane, access-controlled highway with paved shoulders from Walajahpet-Ranipet to Andhra Pradesh on NH40, with an estimated cost of Rs 8.37 billion. Initially, NHAI had intended to expand the existing two-lane section of the 28 km stretch from Walajahpet to Ranipet into a six-lane road, but the plan has been revised to a four-lane configuration. While the Old Madras Road is a four-lane road from Chennai to Walajahpet, the stretch between Walajahpet, via Ranipet, and Chittoor remains a two-lane road. However, the section from Chittoor to Bengaluru is also four-lane. In May of this year, NHAI cancelled the Rs 9.80 billion project for six-laning the Walajahpet/Ranipet-Chittoor section after extending the bid opening deadline over 21 times since September 2022.