BENGALURU: The Karnataka stretch of the Bengaluru-Chennai expressway is complete and open for traffic, and is used for long drives and jolly rides. The 260-km expressway, which is yet to be completed in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is expected to be fully operational by August 2025.
As the 71-km Karnataka stretch is open, it is used by locals who live around the expressway and by those who want to go on a long drive till the end of the road and back.
A temple at Jinnagera Cross near Hoskote had slowed down our work. The temple was relocated and work on the 400-metre stretch is now over. Except for some minor works, the road is open for people, NHAI officials said.
“The expressway has exit points at Malur, Bangarpet and Bethamangala. As the entire stretch is yet to be completed, we are not collecting any toll fee. The expressway is now used by locals around the stretch and those who go on long drives,” an official said.
The expressway cuts through three states -- Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu -- and has a maximum speed limit of 120km per hour. It aims to reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai, which now takes over six hours, to within three hours.
STATE STRETCHES
Construction of the four-lane expressway was divided into three packages in Karnataka:
Package 1: Between Hoskote & Malur, covering 27.1km
Package 2: Between
Malur and Bangarpet, covering 27.1km
Package 3: between
Bangarpet and Bethamangala, covering 17.5km