NHAI to build airport expressway, ring road

NHAI to build airport expressway, ring road
Wednesday January 2 2008 06:59 IST

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BANGALORE: In a major decision, the State Government on Tuesday gave a green signal to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to execute its ambitious projects- peripheral ring road (PRR) around Bangalore city connecting Tumkur Road and Hosur Road through Old Madras Road and an expressway providing connectivity to Devanahalli International Airport.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Governor Rameshwar Thakur here. The Cabinet also decided to upgrade 20 state highways under its Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP) at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore.

Briefing the media on the decisions of the meeting, Thakur said the decision to hand over the PRR and expressway projects was taken as the NHAI evinced interest to build these roads thinking it would gel well with its plan to develop a network of highways around Bangalore.

“Both the roads will be built by NHAI from its own funds besides bearing cost of acquisition of lands,’’ he added. While 21.2 km of expressway starting from Horamavu on outer ring road will be built at a cost of Rs 1,020 crore, the 65 km of first phase of PRR will cost Rs 1,600 crore.

The expressway, which is planned to provide quick and hassle- free connectivity to Devanahalli Airport from the City, ought to have been completed by March 2008 according to earlier plans. But the inordinate delay on the part of the government and legal battles over land acquisition led to the slowing down of work.