Cabinet approves Rs 2,157 crore outlay for 4-laning Marakkanam–Puducherry highway in TN

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the construction of a 4-lane highway from Marakkanam to Puducherry in Tamil Nadu, stretching across a length of 46 km.

The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 2,157 crore.

Currently, connectivity between Chennai, Puducherry, Viluppuram, and Nagapattinam is dependent on the 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, and Nagapattinam," a Cabinet communique said.

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 statement explained.

After its 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 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, the statement added.

Meanwhile, India’s National Highway network has expanded from 91,000 km in 2014 to over 1.46 lakh km today, making it the second-largest road network in the world, according to official data.

The government's spending on road infrastructure has grown 6.4 times between 2013–14 and 2024–25, and the budget allocation for road transport and highways has seen a 57 per cent increase from 2014 to 2023–24 as part of the big push to infrastructure that has been driving economic growth in the country.

--IANS

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