Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has delivered exciting news for travelers between Chennai and Bengaluru. He announced that a new Greenfield Expressway is set to drastically reduce travel time between these two major cities to just two hours. This announcement was made during the 75th-anniversary celebration of Ashok Leyland in Chennai.
This Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway project is part of a larger initiative involving 36 Greenfield Expressways across India. Nitin Gadkari stated, “In the month of January next year, we will start the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway where the duration of traveling between the two cities will be two hours only.” This reduction in travel time will open up new possibilities, such as launching luxury buses and electric sleeper coach buses that can provide a travel experience akin to business class. Moreover, because these vehicles will be electric, it’s expected that ticket rates can be lowered by up to 30%. Previously, the project’s estimated completion time was March 2024.
The project, referred to as the ‘new alignment,’ will connect Hoskote in Bengaluru to Sriperumbudur in the Kanchipuram district, located 40 km from Chennai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for this ambitious expressway project in May 2022. Spanning a total of 262 km, the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway will traverse through the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The expressway will feature eight lanes covering 240 km, with the remaining 22 km being an elevated stretch. To facilitate this massive project, approximately 2650 hectares of land have been acquired.
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The construction of the expressway is progressing in three phases. The first phase covers a distance of 62.6 km from Hoskote to Bethamangala in Karnataka. The second phase extends over 85 km, from Bethamangala to Gudipala in Andhra Pradesh. Finally, the third phase spans 106 km, connecting Gudipala to Sriperumbuddur in Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, the Indian government has proposed the Bengaluru–Mangalore Greenfield Expressway and the Mangaluru–Chennai Expressway, both of which will pass through Bengaluru.
Nitin Gadkari took the opportunity to encourage the Indian automotive industry to manufacture methanol trucks as an alternative fuel model. He emphasized the importance of adopting alternative fuel options to combat pollution. As a pilot project, Ashok Leyland buses in Bengaluru are currently running on a 15% methanol blend. Gadkari expressed his aspiration to introduce methanol-powered trucks and buses across the country, thereby reducing the dependency on diesel imports.
This ambitious expressway project, set to connect Bengaluru and Chennai in just two hours, is a significant stride towards enhancing connectivity and reducing travel time for commuters between these two major cities.
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