Cabinet approves four-laning of NH in Tamil Nadu

The union cabinet on Friday approved the four-laning of Marakkanam-Puducherry national highway in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 2,157 crore, aimed at decongesting the existing corridor, improve safety, and cater to the mobility needs of rapidly growing towns such as Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram and Nagapattinam.

Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram and Nagapattinam is dependent on existing two-lane national highway 332A and associated state highways. This causes significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, especially in densely populated stretches and key towns along the corridor, an official statement said.

As per the statement, the project will upgrade approximately 46 km of NH-332A from Marakkanam to Puducherry to a 4-lane configuration.


The project alignment integrates with two major national highways (NH-32, NH-332) and two state highways (SH-136, SH-203), providing seamless connectivity to key economic, social, and logistics nodes across Tamil Nadu.

Additionally, the upgraded corridor will enhance multi-modal integration by connecting with two railway stations (Puducherry, Chinnababusamudram), two airports (Chennai, Puducherry), and one minor port (Cuddalore), thereby facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers across the region.

The project will also generate approximately 8 lakh person-days of direct and 10 lakh person-days of indirect employment, and will open new avenues of growth, development and prosperity in surrounding regions.

Upon completion, the Marakkanam-Puducherry section will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centres, boosting tourism to Puducherry, and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development, the statement added.