The National Highways Authority of India has set July 2022 as the completion date for the Madurai-Natham four-lane road project, which includes a 7.3-km elevated corridor on New Natham Road between Chokkikulam and Oomachikulam.
The work, which began in November 2018 and was planned to conclude in November 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the resulting shortage of manpower, primarily guest workers from North Indian states who returned home due to pandemic fears. Between Oomachikulam and Natham, 75 per cent of the elevated corridor work and 75 per cent of the four-lane work has been completed. Only five of the 187 spans planned for the elevated corridor remained unfinished. Additional work on the elevated route includes paving the bituminous concrete (top layer) over the concrete slab.