Pedestrian walkways, signage, traffic signs and crash barriers - driving on the perilous Tata-Hata state highway will soon be a safer experience.

The busy 18km artery, which connects Jamshedpur to Chaibasa in West Singhbhum and Odisha, has been adopted by the state road construction department for a safety makeover.

"We have started installing signage and traffic signs. Initially, three accident-prone stretches - each around 3km long - have been identified for markers like 'drive slow' or 'school ahead'. Later, the entire highway will have these traffic signs. Crash barriers, which are basically metal fence on either side of the road intended to reduce the impact in case of an accident, are coming up on these stretches," said C.S. Gupta, a senior official of state road construction.

Gupta said laying of concrete paver blocks on both flanks of the highway from Khasmahal to Karandih began last week. "These are meant to facilitate movement of pedestrians. They are expected to prevent both bottlenecks (by keeping pedestrians off the main carriageway) and mishaps," he explained, adding that Rs 2.5 crore had been earmarked for the project and more funds were awaited.

A rough estimate suggests that the Tata-Hata highway bears the burden of over 100,000 vehicles (two-wheelers, cars, long distance buses and trucks) daily. The road witnesses one or two minor mishaps every day while the monthly average of major accidents is two.

Another senior official of the road construction department, requesting anonymity, conceded that the key objective of the revamp was safety of commuters.

"Movement of vehicles has increased manifold on Tata-Hata highway in the past couple of years, particularly since the Hata-Chaibasa road was reconstructed. Consequently, there has been a spurt in accidents. The highway assumes significance as many people from Jamshedpur use the road to reach Chaibasa, Noamundi and also Odisha via Haldipokhar and Baripada," the official said, adding that wherever necessary, they would also widen the road to facilitate smooth traffic.

Commuters are happy with the development. "There were no traffic signs and signage to guide us on the busy highway, where you can't just stop and ask for directions. Installation of signage and safety signs will help both regular commuters and new ones," said Manik Palit, a resident of Sundernagar, on the fringes of the steel city.

Maya Chatterjee, a resident of Khasmahal, said for five days now, she was using the new footpath for morning and evening walks. "The road has become safer and walking in the morning is refreshing," she added.