Widening of Tiruchi-Chidambaram NH expected to be finished by October

The third and last section of the Tiruchi-Chidambaram National Highway expansion project, between Meensuritti and Chidambaram, is expected to be finished by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) by October. A total of Rs 40 billion, including land acquisition costs, would be spent on widening the 134 kilometre long route. The project has been carried out by the NHAI in three packages. Package-I runs from Kallagam to Meensuritti, Package-II runs from Meensuritti in the Ariyalur district to Chidambaram in the Cuddalore district, and Package-III includes the section between Meensuritti and Chidambaram. While the first two packages are practically finished, work is now being done on the third and final bundle. Nearly 65% of the work on package III, according to NHAI sources, has already been finished. The package has a length of around 31 km, virtually the length of a new highway, with more than 25 km of it being bypass road portions. Rains and the soil conditions have an impact on the completion of the construction because a large chunk of the stretch crosses agricultural fields in the delta region. However, we anticipate finishing the project by October. From Tiruchi to almost Keezha Pazhur, the first 50 km of the highway have been extended into a four-lane highway with carriageways of 8.7 metres on either side. It becomes a two-lane highway with paved shoulders after this point. The two-lane highway would be 10 metres wide. On the Tiruchi-Chennai National route, close to Samayapuram, where the route begins, a sizable flyover has been constructed. At numerous locations, including Lalgudi-Poovalur, Keezha Pazhur, Mela Pazhur, and Jayamkondam, a number of bypass roads have been built. An extensive stretch of the highway has cement concrete roads. Also read: 10,331 km of national highways will be built in 2022-2023 Now, 14km-long old NH-33 set to become 4-lane super highway