Tamil Nadu: NHAI Completes Four-Laning Of Puducherry–Poondiyankuppam Stretch On ECR, Cutting Travel Time By Up To Two Hours

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the four-laning of the 38 km Puducherry–Poondiyankuppam stretch, which ends near Cuddalore, cutting travel time by up to two hours, according to a New Indian Express report.

Motorists travelling towards Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, and Nagapattinam on the East Coast Road (ECR) can look forward to a smoother and quicker drive.

Executed at a cost of Rs 1,588 crore under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I, the project marks another major milestone in the ongoing ECR widening programme.

Sources said the travel time between Chennai and Nagapattinam (320 km) could now drop from seven to six hours by car and from nine to seven hours by bus.

With this, 220 km of the 300 km Thiruvanmiyur–Nagapattinam corridor has been widened into four lanes and made operational, significantly enhancing road connectivity to Tamil Nadu’s coastal and delta districts.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will dedicate the newly completed sections to the nation on 13 October.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 46 km Marakkanam–Puducherry segment, the final link in the 300 km ECR widening initiative, officials confirmed.

The completed portions include the Thiruvanmiyur–Mamallapuram (41 km) and Poondiyankuppam–Sattanathapuram (57 km) stretches.

Construction continues on the Sattanathapuram–Nagapattinam (56 km) and Mamallapuram–Marakkanam (62 km) sections, of which 85 km have been finished. The remainder is expected to be ready by mid-next year.

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