COIMBATORE: A few days ago, in a major administrative reform, the Tamil Nadu government ordered a restructuring of the highways department, integrating its key functional wings to enhance efficiency, balance workload, and speed up project execution across the state.
The move brings together four major wings, namely, Construction and Maintenance (C&M), Projects, Rural Roads & NABARD, and Metro, under a unified structure. These will now function through four newly created regional zones headquartered in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy, and Coimbatore, each led by a chief engineer.
The highways department currently maintains nearly 70,000 km of roads spread across 38 districts. Apart from road construction and upkeep, the department handles complex infrastructure works such as high-level bridges, railway overbridges (RoBs), road overbridges, underpasses, foot overbridges, and bypass roads.
Until now, all four wings operated independently with their headquarters located in Chennai. Chief engineers were required to oversee projects across the state, often travelling long distances, leading to delays and inefficiencies. Officials pointed out that overlapping administrative boundaries and uneven distribution of work had resulted in significant operational challenges.
"The same officers had to repeatedly cover vast distances for inspections, which consumed time and slowed decision-making," a senior official explained. "There was also an imbalance in workload. While the Construction and Maintenance Wing had continuous work, other wings like Projects and Rural Roads had fewer assignments during certain periods."
The newly approved restructuring aims to address these issues by decentralising authority and creating region-based administrative control. Under the new system, each zone will oversee a defined geographical area with a structured hierarchy comprising circles, divisions, and subdivisions. In total, the department will be reorganised into 19 circles, 87 divisions, and 353 sub-divisions.
Officials believe this zonal approach will enable faster resolution of field-level issues, closer monitoring of projects, and more equitable distribution of work among engineers. It is also expected to improve coordination, reduce delays, and ensure the timely completion of infrastructure projects.
Notably, the restructuring will be implemented through internal redeployment, without creating new posts, ensuring no additional financial burden on the state. The decision follows detailed deliberations, including approval at the 193rd Board of Engineers meeting held on February 23, 2026.
The order has been welcomed by department officials, who described it as a long-pending reform. "This integration will significantly reduce workload disparities and help us complete projects efficiently," said another senior official.
The government order (GO 43) was passed on March 13. The new system is scheduled to come into effect from June 15, 2026, marking a major step towards modernising Tamil Nadu's road infrastructure administration.