The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has awarded a Letter of Award (LOA) for the construction of a 7 km long, two-lane Greenfield Bypass on the Kallagam to Meensurutti section of NH-81 in Tamil Nadu. The foundation stone for this project was laid by the Prime Minister on March 11, 2026. The scope of work includes developing 3.47 km of service/slip roads, 2 minor bridges, 2 Vehicle Under Passes (VUPs), 3 Local Vehicle Under Passes (LVUPs), and 8 box culverts.
This bypass is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and improve access for pilgrims visiting the 1,000-year-old Brihadeeswara Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Monument in Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Currently, the existing NH-81 passes close to the temple, posing safety concerns. The new bypass will divert significant traffic, especially heavy vehicles, making travel to the temple safer and more convenient. It will also help reduce air pollution and protect the temple's inscriptions from potential damage caused by heavy vehicles.
Furthermore, the project is anticipated to decrease travel times to the Aranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam and the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. The bypass is also projected to boost the local economy and enhance the travel experience for National Highway users in the region.
The release ID is 2238961, and the visitor counter was 234. This release is available in Hindi and Tamil.
Key Entities Referenced
NHAI: National Highways Authority of India, responsible for the construction and management of national highways.
NH-81: The national highway section relevant to the bypass construction project.
Tamil Nadu: The state in India where the construction project is located.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: The governing ministry overseeing road and highway development in India.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI Awards Contract for Construction of
Gangaikonda Cholapuram Bypass on Kallagam
to Meensurutti Section of NH-81 in Tamil Nadu
Posted On: 12 MAR 2026 4:46PM by PIB Delhi
NHAI has issued Letter of Award (LOA) for the construction of 7 km long two-lane with paved shoulder
Greenfield Bypass to Gangaikonda Cholapuram in Kallagam to Meensurutti section of NH-81 in Tamil
Nadu. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 11th March 2026.
The construction of the greenfield project includes development of 3.47 km long service/slip roads, 2
minor bridges, 2 VUPs, 3 LVUPs and 8 box culverts. The project will help to ease traffic congestion and
benefit pilgrims visiting the 1,000 years old Brihadeeswara Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage
Monument at Gangaikonda Cholapuram.
The existing NH-81 passes very close to the Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, causing safety concerns
to the pilgrims visiting the Temple. The construction of the Bypass will help in diverting major volume of
traffic, especially heavy vehicles, through the bypass making traveling of pilgrims to the Temple safer and
more convenient. The bypass will also help to minimize air pollution and resultant damage to the
inscriptions on the temple stones as well as will help in saving the temple from possible damage due to
plying of heavy vehicles in proximity.
In addition, the project will reduce the travel time to the famous Aranganatha Swamy Temple at Srirangam
and Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram. The bypass will help to strengthen the local economy and provide
seamless travel experience to the National Highway users in the region.
*****
GDH/HJ
(Release ID: 2238961) Visitor Counter : 125
Read this release in: ही , Tamil