
CHENNAI: Road transportation in Tamil Nadu is set to improve significantly with 963-km of four-lane roads being added to the highway network over the next two years. Consequently, the number of toll plazas on national highways is expected to rise from 72 to 90 in the near future. These projects are being executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at a cost of approximately Rs 20,000 crore.
Upon completion, the length of four-lane national highways in the state will expand from 2,735 km to 3,698 km. The total NH network in TN spans 6,805 km, including 1,282 km of two-lane roads, 2,383 km of two-lane roads with paved shoulders, 384 km of six-lane roads and 21 km of eight-lane roads.
Documents submitted in Parliament showed NHAI collected Rs 26,000 crore in toll revenue from TN’s national highways between 2014 and 2024.
Of the eight road projects underway, six four-laning projects spanning 767 km have reached 50-70% completion. The remaining work is expected to be finished within a year.
767 km of ongoing NH projects in state 60% complete, to be operational within 12-15 months
These projects include the Mamallapuram-Puducherry East Coast Road (106 km), Dindigul-Pollachi (131.9 km), Nagapattinam-Thanjavur NH (65 km), Villupuram-Nagapattinam (125 km), Vikravandi-Thanjavur (163 km), Gudipala to Sriperumbudur (Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway) (106 km). Additionally, the Dindigul-Theni-Kumuli (135 km) and Neraluru-Thorapalli Agraharam-Jittandahalli (60 km) roads have achieved 20-30% completion.
Official documents accessed by the TNIE indicate that the 963 km of ongoing national highway projects are progressing steadily, with 767 km expected to become operational within the next 12-15 months. Most of these projects have already reached 60-70% completion.
According to official sources, the four-laning of the Dindigul-Pollachi (131.9 km) stretch is largely complete. The Oddanchatram-Madathukulam section was recently completed, with a toll plaza now operational at Chatrapatti.
The remaining two sections-Kamalapuram (Dindigul)-Oddanchatram and Madathukulam-Pollachi-are nearing completion, with toll plazas set to open at Paraipatti and Gomangalam soon, revealed data obtained by the TNIE through RTI.
Similarly, the long-pending Vikravandi-Sethiyathope-Cholapuram-Thanjavur (164 km) project, delayed for the past six years, is expected to be completed within a year. Already, 47 km of the Cholapuram-Thanjavur section is complete, with a toll plaza recently becoming operational at Vembakudi (Papanasam). Meanwhile, work on the Vikravandi-Sethiyathope and Sethiyathope-Cholapuram sections has resumed and is expected to be completed soon, according to officials.
Additionally, the four-laning of the 65km Nagapattinam-Thanjavur NH is partially complete, with a toll plaza at Kovil Venni (Needamangalam) now operational despite opposition. Meanwhile, work on the Mamallapuram-Mugaiyur-Marakkanam-Puducherry ECR (106km), which had been delayed due to environmental concerns, has resumed.
Over 40km of the stretch has been completed, and significant progress has been made in the land acquisition process, an official added. As per official data, the top five toll plazas with the highest collections in TN are Thoppur L&T (Krishnagiri - Thumbipadi), Krishnagiri (Hosur - Krishnagiri), Vikravandi (Tambaram - Tindivanam Omalur (Omalur - Namakkal) and Pallikonda (Krishnagiri - Walajahpet).
Among them, Thoppur recorded the highest collection from 2014-24 at Rs 1,945 crore, followed by Krishnagiri with Rs 1,636 crore, Vikravandi with Rs 1,290 crore, Omalur with `1,040 crore, and Pallikonda with Rs 1,002 crore.
Toll plazas to rise to 90
The number of toll plazas on national highways in Tamil Nadu is expected to rise from 72 to 90 in the near future. With the completion of the projects, TN will have 3,698 km of 4-lane national highways