Nitin Gadkari says that PM Modi will inaugurate Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway before December
NEW DELHI : Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari on Thursday announced that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway before December.
Addressing the valedictory session of the Karnataka BJP’s State executive in Bengaluru, Mr. Gadkari said it would be possible to reach Bengaluru from Chennai within two hours on this highway. Earlier he announced that the estimated time of completion was March 2024 and the 262 km-long expressway is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to only two hours.
Gadkari also stated that he will make efforts to complete the Rs 17,000 crore-worth Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) project in Karnataka by December end.
Gadkari said he urged Karnataka Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shri DK Shivakumar during a meeting in New Delhi to ensure smooth environmental clearances and land acquisition in the state to expedite road infrastructure projects.
The ‘new alignment’ Bengaluru-Chennai highway will connect Hoskote (in Bengaluru) to Sriperumbudur in the Kanchipuram district (40 km from Chennai). The expressway is one of the 36 new expressways being developed by the NHAI, the foundation for which was laid by PM Modi in May 2022.
The 262 km-long Bengaluru-Chennai expressway is being built at a cost of over Rs 17,930 crore and will pass through the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The highway will be eight lanes for a distance of 240 km, with the remainder being an elevated stretch of 22 km. Nearly 2,650 hectares of land were acquired for the project.
The works are underway in three phases, with the first phase covering a distance of 62.6 km between Hoskote and Bethamangala in Karnataka.
The second phase covers a stretch of 85 km, from Bethamangala to Gudipala in Andhra Pradesh. The third phase consists of 106 km, connecting Gudipala to Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. The Centre has also proposed to construct a Bengaluru-Mangaluru greenfield expressway and Mangaluru-Chennai expressway through Bengaluru.