CHENNAI: The opening of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (BCE), a four-lane access-controlled highway, has been postponed indefinitely as work on the pending stretches in Arakkonam and Kancheepuram (26 km), which has remained stalled for nearly 10 months, is ensnared in troubles.
The 262-km Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway was originally scheduled for completion by December last year, but the deadline was extended to June this year due to delay in land acquisition, shifting of high-tension power lines and towers, and other factors. The expressway aims to reduce the travel time between Chennai and Bengaluru to just three hours.
Official sources from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told TNIE that the concessionaire of Arakkonam-Kancheepuram section has approached the high court seeking permission to transfer the project to another contractor, and the matter is still pending.
“Work has not resumed so far. Once it restarts, it will take at least 12 months to complete the remaining 15km. Only after the court case is resolved and civil works recommence can we confirm a revised deadline for the project,” an official said. Of the 26km in Arakkonam-Kancheepuram section, 11.2 km (54%) has been completed so far.
Power line shifting work hampering road project
Due to the delay, the project cost jumped from `1,155.5 crore to `1,525.1 crore. Work has remained suspended since May last year due to financial constraints faced by the concessionaire. The NHAI issued a termination notice in November, which the concessionaire has challenged in court.
Similarly, the 31.7-km Kancheepuram-Sriperumbudur section has been delayed by over a year. Around 26km of road work has been completed, while 4.7 km remains pending due to delays in shifting high-tension power lines and towers.
“An alternative site for erecting transmission towers has been identified by the district collector, and land acquisition is currently under way,” an official said.
The shifting work is currently stalled due to the ongoing elections. “Power lines supplying electricity to residential areas need to be shut down to carry out the work. However, approval for power disconnection is expected only in May due to the elections.
Once work resumes, it may take four to five months to complete the remaining stretch,” the official added. The expressway begins at Hoskote in Karnataka and ends at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
The 71-km stretch from Hoskote to Bethamangala in Karnataka was opened to traffic in December last year. The TN portion is being executed at a cost of `7,720 crore, with `4,650 crore spent so far.