The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the four-laning of the 38 km Puducherry–Poondiyankuppam stretch, ending near Cuddalore, in a development that will cut travel time by up to two hours, according to a report by The New Indian Express. The upgraded section, built at a cost of Rs 15.9 billion under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I, marks a major milestone in the ongoing East Coast Road (ECR) widening programme. The project promises a smoother, faster drive for motorists travelling towards Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Sirkazhi, and Nagapattinam. With this completion, 220 km of the 300 km Thiruvanmiyur–Nagapattinam corridor has now been widened to four lanes and made operational, significantly improving connectivity across Tamil Nadu’s coastal and delta districts. According to officials, the overall travel time between Chennai and Nagapattinam (320 km) is expected to drop from seven to six hours by car and from nine to seven hours by bus. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to dedicate the newly completed section to the nation on 13 October. On the same occasion, he will also lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 46 km Marakkanam–Puducherry segment, which forms the final link in the 300 km ECR widening initiative. Completed stretches now include Thiruvanmiyur–Mamallapuram (41 km) and Poondiyankuppam–Sattanathapuram (57 km). Work is ongoing on the Sattanathapuram–Nagapattinam (56 km) and Mamallapuram–Marakkanam (62 km) sections, of which 85 km have already been finished. The remaining portions are expected to be completed by mid-next year. The expanded corridor is set to boost trade, tourism, and logistics efficiency across Tamil Nadu’s eastern coast, providing a modern, high-speed link between Chennai and key port cities in the state.