Bengaluru-Chennai expressway to be ready by 2023-end, says Nitin Gadkari

Bengaluru-Chennai express highway will reduce travel time between the two metro cities to just two hours, Nitin Gadkari said.

Updated on: Sep 8, 2023, 09:57:46 IST

By Yamini C S

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Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the highly-anticipated Bengaluru-Chennai expressway will be opened to the public earlier that expected, by 2023 end or latest by January next year. The greenfield project is being built at a cost of ₹17,000 crore and was earlier stipulated to be ready by March 2024.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari during the 75th anniversary celebration of Ashok Leyland in Chennai. (PTI)

The expressway is set to reduce travel time between the two metro cities to just two hours. It is a 285.3 kilometre long, four lane project. Gadkari was speaking to reporters at the 75th anniversary celebrations of Ashok Leyland in Chennai on Thursday.

READ | Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway will be ready by March next year: Nitin Gadkari

“I reviewed the progress of National Highways projects in Chennai today. The Bengaluru-Chennai express highway will start by this year-end or January 2024. So, you can launch luxury buses and sleeper coaches in this sector,” the minister told news agency PTI.

“We are making good roads. We are connecting Delhi to Chennai via Surat, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Kurnool, Chennai (and beyond to), Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi (and also to) Bengaluru and Hyderabad, through the access-controlled highways project,” he added.

READ | Bengaluru to Mumbai, Pune in 7 hours, thanks to this new expressway: Report

He further stated that he was satisfied over the pace of National Highway projects and that the work on the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway project would also commence soon.

The minister also said he launched Ashok Leyland’s vehicle which can run on methanol-blended fuel, in Bengaluru.

(With inputs from PTI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More