New Delhi: From next year, travellers will be able to cover the nearly 300 km long distance between Bengaluru and Chennai is less time from next year. The Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, which would cut down the travel time between the cities by 2-3 hours, will be ready by next year, union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
Gadkari inspected the Karnataka section of the 262 km under-construction Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway. A 52-km of greenfield alignment is also part of the project worth Rs 9,000 crore. Gadkari said that a new greenfield project – Bengaluru to Chennai Expressway at a cost of Rs 16,730 crore – would be ready by March 2024.
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“By February 2023, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway Project will be completed. I saw some work pending on the stretch. We will invite either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or President Droupadi Murmu,” the minister told reporters.
Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway
– The highway runs for 106 km in Karnataka, 71 km in Andhra Pradesh and 85 km in Tamil Nadu.
– It will connect Bengaluru with towns like Malur, Bangarpet, KGF and Bethamangala in Karnataka.
– Designed for a speed of 120 km, it would reduce the road distance between Bengaluru and Chennai to 262 km and cut down travel time from the current six hours to 2.5 hours.
– The Bengaluru-Mysuru corridor is a 10-lane project wherein four lanes – two on either sides – have been proposed for the villages and towns attached to the highway while six lanes would lead directly to Mysuru from Bengaluru.
– The toll charges for the expressway have not been decided yet, according to the minister.
Further, the project is divided into two parts – one from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta and another from Nidaghatta to Mysuru. After completion, the travel time from Bengaluru to Mysuru would come down to just 70 minutes. Further, the 285.3-km four-lane Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway project, Gadkari said, would help save travel time.
“Now it is up to the State government to develop cities and regions pass through this route as industrial cluster to decongest Bengaluru,” Gadkari added. This highway would give access to Kodagu in Karnataka, Ooty in Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
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Construction under Bharatmala Project
Being developed under the Bharatmala project, the highway would also help avoid delay in passing through major towns and congested areas. “This Bharatmala project in Karnataka covering 71.7 km will cost Rs 5,069 crore,” Gadkari said, adding that by making this road, the logistic costs will also be reduced. 231 km of construction is underway.
On the expressway, an Amrit Mahotsav Bird Sanctuary and an Amrit Sarovar would also come up.
The road transport ministry is also working on the Bengaluru Satellite Ring Road at an estimated cost of Rs 17,000 crore under the Bharatmala project to decongest Bengaluru. Gadkari underscored that the project covers 288 km of which 243 km is in Karnataka and 45 km in Tamil Nadu.
This satellite ring road will be linked to Pune-Bengaluru and eventually be connected to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Once completed, the journey from Bengaluru to Mumbai will be just six-and-a-half hours to 7 hours.
Connecting North with South
Gadkari further shared that a new road connecting North with the South is also being laid at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore. This project would link Surat with Nasik, Ahmednagar, Sholapur and Kurnool. From Kurnool, there would be road connectivity to Chennai, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.
