Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway to Be Completed by October; Travel Time to Reduce to Just 3 Hours

The Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway, one of India`s most significant infrastructure projects, is expected to be completed by October, according to officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The Central Government announced the access-controlled expressway to provide faster and more efficient connectivity between Chennai and Bengaluru, two of South India`s largest metropolitan cities. Although the project agreement was signed in 2012, construction gained momentum after land acquisition and other preliminary works were completed. The foundation stone for the ₹17,930-crore project was laid in May 2022.

The 263-km expressway has been divided into 10 construction packages. The 71-km Hoskote–Bethamangala stretch in Karnataka has already been completed and opened to traffic. Construction in Andhra Pradesh and the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border regions has also reached approximately 90% completion.

However, work on the Perumbudur–Arakkonam–Kanchipuram stretch faced delays due to land acquisition issues, pending approvals for railway overbridges, legal proceedings, and financial constraints experienced by contractors.

So far, construction has been completed on 230 km of the corridor. NHAI officials stated that the remaining work is expected to be completed by October.

According to the officials, the total cost of the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway project is approximately ₹17,700 crore, of which ₹7,650 crore has been allocated for the 94-km stretch in Tamil Nadu. Around 25 km of construction has been delayed due to ongoing court cases, but officials remain confident that the entire project will be completed within the planned timeline.

Currently, road travel between Chennai and Bengaluru takes around 6 to 7 hours. Once the expressway becomes operational, the travel time is expected to be reduced to approximately 3 hours, significantly improving passenger travel, freight movement, logistics efficiency, and economic connectivity between Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.