Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway: In a welcome relief to motorists, the 262-km-long Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (BCE) is close to completion. The BCE will reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai to two to two-and-a-half hours, compared to the current seven to eight hours. The expressway will reduce the distance between the cities by 80 km. The permitted speed on the expressway is 120km/hr.
The BCE project, officially NE-7, is a four-lane access-controlled road connecting Hoskote near Bengaluru, Karnataka, with Sriperumbudur near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on July 4 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway before December 2024. He had earlier stated that the estimated time of completion was March 2024.
The expressway, being built at a cost of over ₹17,930 crore will pass through three states— Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Hoskote, Malur, Bangarapet, Kolar Gold Fields, Venkatagirikota, Palamaner, Bangarupalem, Chittoor, Ranipet, and Sriperumbudur are the cities that lie on the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway route.
The highway will be eight lanes for a distance of 240 km, with the remainder being an elevated stretch of 22 km.
The 4-lane double-decker elevated road will connect Chennai Port to Maduravoyal for 21 km and will be built at a cost of around ₹5,850 crore. It will ensure a continuous flow of goods to the Chennai port.
The 94 km long highway from Neraluru to Dharmapuri (NH-844) is built at a cost of around ₹3,870 crore. A 31 km 2-lane highway connecting Meensurutti to Chidambaram (NH-277) is built at a cost of around ₹720 crore. The two highways aim to provide continuous connectivity in the region.
Currently, there are three routes from Bengaluru to Chennai: Hosur and Krishnagiri/ Golden Quadrilateral, Old Madras Road, and a third route passing through Kolar-KGF-Kota and Vellore.
According to reports, the Golden Quadrilateral route spanning approximately 380 km between the two cities is the most frequently used of these three routes.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is constructing this expressway under the Bharatmala Pariyojana programme.
Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the Bengaluru- Chennai Expressway in May 2022. It was to be built at an initial cost of over ₹14,870 crore.
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