BENGALURU: While the Karnataka stretch of Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway is complete and is open to the public, it will not take one to Chennai now. There are many videos and photos of the stretch doing the rounds on multiple social media platforms, giving an impression that the stretch is open till Chennai.
A senior official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that while there was no official launch, the road was opened to the public last December.
The 71-km stretch in Karnataka (of the total 260-km expressway) is complete and the remaining stretches falling in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are yet to be completed for one to reach Chennai on the expressway.
“Except for some small work, the majority of the project was completed and the road was opened last year-end. Villagers who stay nearby and those wanting to go on a long drive are using the stretch and exploring areas around,” he said.
He clarified that the entire stretch of the expressway is not open and will take some months as the work is in progress in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. “If one wants to head to Chennai, they have to use the existing highways and advised not to take the unfinished expressway,” he said.
Recently, the Army Service Corps Motorcycle Display Team (Tornadoes) set three new records in motorcycle riding and wheeling on the expressway.
“As the stretch is not complete, we are not levying any toll on road users,” the official said, adding that the entire stretch may be opened by this year-end or next year.