The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said construction of the 35.6-kilometre Vadugapatti–Therkuvenganallur section being upgraded into a four-lane corridor under the Madurai–Kollam greenfield National Highway 744 is expected to be completed by April. The whole section, forming phase two of the project, is being upgraded at a cost of Rs 13,180 mn and is managed by the NHAI Nagercoil region.\n\nSachin Kumar Mishra, project director of the NHAI Nagercoil region, said 27.8 kilometres of the stretch will be converted into a greenfield section and the remainder will be widened from a two-lane to a four-lane corridor. He said phase two work began in April 2023 and that the Vadugapatti–Therkuvenganallur upgrade would cut travel time from Krishnan Kovil to Rajapalayam from 45 minutes to 20 minutes.\n\nThe Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) has been implemented along the section with a control centre at Nathampatti toll plaza and one CCTV camera per kilometre to strengthen surveillance. Mishra said the ATMS would assist dissemination of real-time information, early detection of incidents and enforcement support. Two high-mast lights will be installed every 16 kilometres, the number of upper streetlights will be increased and 32 bus shelters will be built along the route.\n\nA total of 16 underpasses have been constructed to serve villages in the Sivakasi area and the road has been designed without black spots or median openings, including a 245-metre flyover at Rajapalayam. On a trial basis a two-kilometre service road in Ramalingapuram has been laid using plastic waste and its condition will be examined after five years. Authorities expect the completed corridor to improve regional connectivity and the movement of goods and workers across the industrial belt, and the NHAI has indicated the section will be ready by April subject to final inspections.
