4-Lane Highway to be built between Puducherry and Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu
By Arun Kumar Das
New Delhi, Aug 9 (BVI) The road between Marakkanam town of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be expanded from 2-lane to 4-lane highway, thus enabling faster and safer movement of traffic.
The 46-km project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 2,157 crore, according to a decision taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram & Nagapattinam is dependent on existing 2-lane National Highway 332A (NH-332A) and associated State Highways, which experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, especially in densely populated stretches and key towns along the corridor.
To address these challenges, the project will upgrade approximately 46 km of NH-332A from Marakkanam to Puducherry to a 4-lane configuration.
This will decongest the existing corridor, improve safety, and cater to the mobility needs of rapidly growing towns such as Chennai, Puducherry Viluppuram & Nagapattinam.
The project alignment integrates with 2 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.
Upon completion, the Marakkanam – Puducherry section will play a pivotal role in regional economic growth, strengthening connectivity between major religious and economic centers, boosting tourism to Puducherry, and opening new avenues for trade and industrial development. 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. (BVI)
