NHAI Completes Rs 15.9 Billion Four-Lane Stretch On ECR

15 Oct 2025 CW Team

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.

Building Material

27 Nov 2025

Shalimar Paints Launches New Durable Luxury Interior and Exterior Range

Shalimar Paints has introduced three additions to its portfolio: Hero Insignia Luxury Interior Emulsion, Superlac PU Gloss Enamel and Hero Weather Guard 12 Luxury Exterior Emulsion. The new range is designed to combine finish, durability and environmental responsibility for modern residential spaces.Hero Insignia is a water-based luxury interior emulsion formulated with hybrid binder technology, providing a silky finish, stain resistance and protection from scuff marks. It offers more than 2,000 colour options, a 10-year promise and zero VOC levels, and can be applied on plaster, concrete and ..

Trimble Promotes Harsh Pareek as VP Direct Sales for APAC

Trimble has promoted Harsh Pareek to Vice President, Direct Sales, Asia-Pacific for its Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) division. Mr Pareek joined the company in 2017 and has more than 27 years of industry experience. He most recently served as Regional Sales Director for India for over eight years, during which he played a major role in accelerating Trimble’s growth and expanding its footprint across the Indian Subcontinent.Expressing his focus for the new role, Mr Pareek said that the AECO sector in Asia-Pacific is entering a phase driven by technology, sustai..

Rajasthan Moves Mining Processes Fully Online From 15 December

The Rajasthan government will make all mining-related processes entirely paperless from 15 December, a senior official said. The Mines, Geology and Petroleum Department will halt all offline work across its mining modules, requiring officials to operate exclusively through online systems. Principal Secretary (Mines) T Ravikant said compliance monitoring will begin on 1 December while addressing an orientation workshop for officials from the Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Kota and Bikaner zones. Ravikant explained that the department has developed two mobile applications and fourteen online modules..