ECR Widening Between Villupuram, Nagapattinam to Be Completed by 2025

Motorists using the East Coast Road (ECR) section between Villupuram and Nagapattinam will have a smoother and quicker ride with a project to widen the road likely to finish by October 2025. The implementing agency is the National Highways Authority of India and the project is under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Scheme to widen NH-32 (previously NH-45A) into a 4-lane Highway with Median & Service Lanes. The stretch till Sattanathapuram is already complete and significant progress is made on the other stretch.

Residents said the new highway is making it easier for people in the area. Chidambaram resident S. Balakrishnan, who frequently travels to Puducherry and Kumbakonam, said travel time has come down drastically since the new road came into effect. Now she can reach Cuddalore in 30 minutes and Villupuram in 1.5 hours with ease. Someone else, also traveling to Kumbakonam with this new road, compared the experience to travelers on narrow and dangerous stretches before the new road was commissioned. But he pointed out that some of the bridges lacked lighting and that two-wheelers were moving on the left side. He noted that more places families can eat and more parking spots would help make it easier for families to visit.

In light of these issues, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has addressed the concerns and revealed that it will increase highway patrols to avoid wrong-side driving. They are also installing lighting on the darker stretches, which will be electrified shortly. Adequate vehicular underpasses for local traffic have also been provided on the road for a better flow of movement.

The widening undertaking comprises four contracting packages. Package 1, which includes the 29 km from Villupuram to Puducherry, costing ₹1,013 crore, is undergoing minor works and so is Package 2, which spans 38 km from Puducherry to Poondiyankuppam, costing ₹1,228 crore. Package 3, which is from Poondiyankuppam to Sattanathapuram, covering a distance of 56.8 km at a cost of ₹2,120 crore, has been completely completed. In Package 4 (from Sattanathapuram to Nagapattinam for a distance of 55.75 km) 31 km has been completed till now at a cost of ₹1,905 crore.

As the project also comes to a close, the ECR is going to be a more secure and quicker corridor for ordinary commuters as well as travelers over longer distances.