Pudukottai-Aranthangi state highway widening project enters final phase

The State Highways Department will soon begin the final phase of the widening of the Pudukottai-Aranthangi Highway into a four-lane road. The project is being carried out at a cost of ₹198 crore in three phases under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme. With work in the first two phases having been completed, the project’s final leg is to be taken up soon.

The first stretch of 4.8 km. was completed at a cost of ₹44 crore in 2023-24 while another stretch of 6 km was completed in 2024-25 at a cost of ₹39 crore. The second phase of the project covered the stretch up to Vallathirakottai.

The Highways Department has floated a tender for the execution of work for the final stretch of 19 km. The final stretch is to be carried out at a cost of ₹115 crore. The last phase work is expected to commence next month, a senior official of the department said and added that land acquisition was not required for the project.

The department plans to complete the final leg of the project in 10 months which would pave the way for seamless travel along the stretch. As part of the project, 32 culverts have been constructed and 31 more culverts are proposed to be built in the final phase.

Saplings planted

To enable widening of the road, the department had removed nearly 490 trees after obtaining approval from the District Green Committee during the first two phases. 

The final leg would require approval from the District Green Committee for the removal of around 340 trees. Inspection for removal of trees for the final stretch was conducted on Wednesday by a team of highways and forest department officials along with representatives of a couple of non-governmental organisations which are members of the District Green Committee prior to obtaining approval from the committee, said the official.

The department had been asked to plant saplings of tree species in the ratios of 1:10 and 1:20 for the trees removed for the project and those planned to be axed to enable the widening work in the final leg. Accordingly, the department planted 1,350 saplings of indigenous tree species such as tamarind, naanal, vembu and pungai along the Pudukottai-Aranthangi highway stretch from April last year to May 2025. In addition to this, saplings of ‘arali’ and neem have been planted on the median on a 11-km stretch. 

The department has planted saplings on the stretches from Alangudi to Karambakudi which is classified as a Major District Road; from Alangudi to Kurumbur which is a state highway and from Alangudi to Arimalam which is also a Major District Road.