Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway: 71 km in Karnataka ready to launch by November

A key 71-kilometer section of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, passing through Karnataka, is set to open by the end of November 2024. This announcement comes from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), marking an important step forward in the completion of the project.

The expressway, which will span a total of 260 kilometers, connects Bengaluru and Chennai, significantly reducing travel time between the two cities. The stretch in Karnataka has faced some delays, primarily due to the need to relocate a temple near Hoskote, at Jinnagara Cross. Now that the temple has been moved, construction work has resumed at full pace. According to Vilas P. Brahmankar, NHAI's Bengaluru Regional Officer, the entire Karnataka portion of the expressway is complete, with only a 400-meter stretch left to finish.
Once the entire expressway is operational, it will provide a four-lane, high-speed route linking the three southern states—Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. This ₹17,900 crore project, South India's first greenfield expressway, is set to revolutionize travel between Bengaluru and Chennai by reducing the journey time from the current seven hours to just three.
The expressway is being constructed in three phases in Karnataka. Package 1 covers the 27.1 km stretch from Hoskote to Malur, Package 2 spans from Malur to Bangarpet (27.1 km), and Package 3 extends from Bangarpet to Bethamangala (17.5 km). By the end of November, all these sections will be fully open for commuters.

While the project was initially planned for completion by the end of 2024, delays have pushed the expected full completion date to the end of 2025. Nonetheless, the opening of the Karnataka stretch by the end of this month is a major milestone, making travel between Bengaluru and Chennai faster, safer, and more efficient.