2 days ago
NHAI set to begin work on developing final section of Vikravandi-Thanjavur national highway
Construction of the long-delayed third and final section of the four-lane Vikravandi-Thanjavur National Highway, between Sethiyathope and Vikravandi, is set to commence next month.
The project is being executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in three packages — from Thanjavur to Cholapuram; Cholapuram to Sethiyathope; and Sethiyathope to Vikravandi.
The NHAI has just completed work on the second package of the highway, covering the stretch from Sethiyathope and Cholapuram. Although motorists are already using the section, it would formally open to traffic with the commencement of user fee collection at the Manambadi Toll Plaza from June 12. The 50-km long section, developed at an estimated cost of ₹2,357 crore (including land acquisition and utility shifting), includes three bypasses and four major bridges. A new bridge has been built across the Kollidam river at Anaikkarai.
In January this year, the Cholapuram-Thanjavur section of the highway was opened for traffic. Service organisations in the delta region had been pressing for the early commencement of the Sethiyathope-Vikravandi package, as the NHAI had terminated the contract awarded for the section and decided to go for a fresh tender.
'The tender for developing the Vikravandi-Sethiyathope section into a four lane highway has been awarded recently. The land acquisition for the 66-km long section has been completed and the work will begin in July. The project is expected to be completed in two years,' sources in NHAI told The Hindu.
Two new bypass pass roads would come up at Vadalur and Panruti, running for a total distance of 18 km, on the section which would entail an investment of about ₹2,000 crore approximately.
The entire project, originally scheduled for completion by September 2020, had run into a long delay due to various factors, including Cyclone Gaja, the COVID-19 pandemic and issues in land acquisition. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari's had inspected the progress of the project in September 2024.
Once completed, the four-lane highway is expected to give a big push to the development of the central region, especially Villupuram, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, and Thanjavur districts. Besides reducing the travel time between Thanjavur and Chennai, it would even help reduce the traffic on the Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway as those bound to southern destinations such as Karaikudi, Ramanathapuram and Rameswaram could take the NH 36 (Vikravandi-Manamadurai), the sources said.
The news on the award of the contract has brought cheer to the locals. 'We welcome the award of the fresh contract and hope the NHAI would closely monitor the project and complete it expeditiously,' said V. Sathiyanarayanan, secretary, All Traders Associations of Kumbakonam.
