The Government of Tamil Nadu has officially announced a new greenfield expressway project connecting Chennai and Tiruvannamalai via Cheyyar SIPCOT and Desur. The proposed corridor, stretching approximately 140 to 142 kilometres, will largely follow the alignment of the earlier shelved Chennai–Salem expressway plan.
The project will be executed in two phases. Phase I will link Oragadam, located along the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road, to Cheyyar SIPCOT through Mangal Koot Road. Phase II will extend from Manampathi to Tiruvannamalai via Desur. Officials said the Government Order (G.O.) for land acquisition related to Phase II is expected to be issued shortly.
Once completed, the expressway is projected to cut travel time between Chennai and Tiruvannamalai from nearly 4.5 hours to about 2.5 hours. The corridor is also expected to enhance connectivity between major SIPCOT industrial clusters and key ports such as Kattupalli Port and Ennore Port, thereby improving logistics efficiency and export movement.
Authorities indicated that the highway could be extended towards Salem in the future, depending on feasibility and demand. In addition, plans are being explored to establish a new SIPCOT industrial zone along the Cheyyar–Tiruvannamalai stretch to stimulate industrial growth in the region.
For the project, around 307.95 acres of land will be acquired across four taluks — Cheyyar, Vandavasi, Keezhpennathur and Tiruvannamalai. The acquisition covers seven villages in Cheyyar taluk, 14 in Vandavasi, eight in Keezhpennathur and five in Tiruvannamalai taluk. Compensation assessment procedures are currently underway, and official land acquisition notifications are expected soon.
Earlier proposals had suggested extending the Cheyyar industrial corridor up to Vellore. However, the revised plan now connects it to Tiruvannamalai, with the objective of promoting balanced regional development and accelerating industrial expansion in northern Tamil Nadu.