The highly anticipated Bengaluru-Chennai expressway, initially slated for an October 2024 finish, encounters prolonged delays, mainly due to a slow pace in a section of Andhra Pradesh.
The comprehensive project now eyes completion by June 2025, currently marking progress at 51.5 percent.
Karnataka, where construction commenced earlier, boasts nearly 78.1 percent completion. The 262-kilometre-long expressway aims to truncate travel distance between the capitals of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by 13 percent, promising to slash travel time from the current six to seven hours to a mere two hours.
This access-controlled highway will stretch 90 metres wide, accommodating speeds of up to 120 kmph and interlinking 20.9 million residents across regions like Kolar, Chittoor, Vellore, Kancheepuram, and Chennai.
In an extensive project update presented by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in the Lok Sabha, detailed progress was highlighted. The initial stretch from Hoskote to Malur (26.4 km), costing Rs 2,761.12 crore, set off on September 15, 2021, and anticipates completion by March 31, 2024, presently standing at 77.12 percent.
The subsequent stretch from Malur to Bangarpet (27.1 km) with a project cost of Rs 1,496.30 crore commenced on September 20, 2021, and is at 78.68 percent, aiming for completion by March 31, 2024.
However, the project faces a bottleneck in the fourth phase, spanning Bethamangala to Baireddypalli in Andhra Pradesh (25 km, project cost Rs 1,306.96 crore), projected to conclude by October 9, 2024, currently standing at 39.83 percent completion.
The most significant setback is witnessed in the fifth phase, a 31 km stretch between Baireddypalli and Bangarupalyam (project cost Rs 2,171.37 crore), achieving a mere 10.05 percent progress. Its completion may extend to June 7, 2025, amplifying delays in the overall project timeline.
Amid these delays, the project’s impact on neighboring villages becomes a focal point, raising concerns about severe dust pollution. Karnataka PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi assured prompt attention to complaints, with ongoing efforts and released grants to address these environmental issues.
Moreover, the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway is an integral segment of the broader Chennai-Delhi expressway network, interlinking with the Bengaluru-Mumbai route via the Greenfield expressway through the Bengaluru Satellite Ring Road project.
With an estimated value of Rs 45,000 crore, this initiative seeks to curtail the distance between Bengaluru and Pune by 7 percent, with ongoing efforts to draft a detailed project report while aiming for an average speed of 100 kmph.
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