Reliance Infrastructure said on Monday it has completed the widening of the 136-km Salem-Ulundurpet (SU) stretch of its Rs 1,061-crore (US$156 million) highway project in Tamil Nadu.

The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the project is SU Toll Road Pvt Ltd.

The SU corridor connects major tourist destinations, industrial zones in Salem district and the Chennai international airport, the statement said.

The project has been executed on Build Operate Transfer (BOT) pattern under National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The company was awarded the contract to operate and maintain the road for a concession period of 25 years.

Sudhir R Hoshing, CEO (Roads), Reliance Infrastructure, said:

"We are happy to complete the widening of the entire stretch of Salem-Ulundurpet road that will provide a hassle-free, safe and smooth driving experience. We expect an increase in traffic of over 4,000 more vehicles per day."

The SU road has already been revenue operational since July 28, 2012, with two toll plazas located at Nathakkarai and Veeracholapuram. A third toll plaza at Mettupattai has now become operational. Toll collection has started at all toll plazas.This was the first project of more than 100 km to be awarded by NHAI on BOT Toll basis.At present, Reliance Infra has eleven projects with a total length of 968 kms, costing around Rs.11700 crores (around US$1.7 billion).Source: Reliance Infra