Bangalore-Chennai Expressway to be ready in three years

Bangalore-Chennai Expressway to be ready in three years

Special Correspondent
The 240-km expressway passes through Kolar

Centre urged to upgrade 4,900 km of State highways

BANGALORE: The Union Government on Saturday assured Karnataka of completing work on the Bangalore-Chennai Expressway in three years. The proposed 240-km expressway passes through Kolar.

The assurance is learnt to have been made by Secretary to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Brahm Dutt at a meeting with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa here on Saturday.

The expressway when completed will help people reach Chennai from Bangalore in two-and-a-half hours, according to official sources.

The proposed expressway has assumed significance particularly in the context of IT professionals from Electronics City finding it inconvenient to reach Chennai by air as they have to travel to the international airport in Devanahalli. Those from Electronics City are expected to reach Chennai faster by the proposed expressway than flight considering the time taken to reach the international airport and the waiting time at the airport.

According to sources in the secretariat, the State Government would take care of land acquisition from Bangalore to Kolar, while Tamil Nadu would look into it in its territory. At the meeting, the Chief Minister is learnt to have appealed to the Centre to upgrade 4,900 km of State highways to national highways. The sources said that Mr. Dutt assured the Chief Minister of looking into the request.

The stretches of State highways requested to be upgraded are Tadas-Mundagod-Shikaripura-Shimoga (186 kms), Kumta-Sirsi-Kudligi-

Molakalmur-Ananthpur (315 km), Bidar-Srirangapatna (608 km), Bangalore-Hindupura (80 km), and Belgaum-Bagalkot-Raichur-Mahbubnagar (336 km). The State Government also requested the Centre to take up improvement work on 777 km of stretches of national highways passing through Karnataka. This includes 47 projects to be taken up at a cost of Rs. 265 crore.

Mr. Dutt is learnt to have told the State Government that he would look into the request.