NHAI invites bids for B’luru-Chennai e-way

CHENNAI: After facing long delays due to issues over land acquisition, Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (BCE), which seeks to reduce the travel distance between the two cities, has finally taken off with the National Highways Authority of India inviting bids for five stretches which runs through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The greenfield highway project commences at Hosakote near Bengaluru and ends at Sriperumbudur running a distance of 262 km via Palamaner and Gudipala in Andhra Pradesh. The entirely new alignment will be built in the three states under 10 packages to make sure that the works would be executed in the fixed time duration. “We have invited bids for five out of the 10 packages in the three states to ensure that the contracts were awarded by end of this year and work commencing subsequently,” a senior NHAI official said.

The BCE begins at Hoskote in Karnataka and runs a distance of 72 km within the State. The works would be executed in three packages – Bengaluru-Malur section, Malur to Bangarpet section and Bangarpet to Bethamangala section.

In Andhra Pradesh, it runs for a length of 88 km in Chittoor district and the works will be executed in three packages. The expressway would pass through Vellore and Kancheepuram districts in Tamil Nadu before ending at Sriperumbudur after covering 98 km. “In Tamil Nadu, the greenfield project will be executed in four phases – Gudipala (AP) to Walajahpet, Walajahpet to Arakkonam, Arakkonam to Kancheepuram and Kancheepuram to Sriperumbudur,” the official said, adding that as of now, the bids have been invited for two packages each in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and one package in the Andhra Pradesh.

The NHAI official said the fully access-controlled expressway will be a four-lane facility first and then would be widened to six-lane and eight-lane with increase in the traffic volume. With the highway being designed for vehicular speed of 120 km per hour, it will have no intersections and will have pedestrian and vehicular underpasses to ensure safety.

There are two existing routes from Chennai to Bengaluru — one via Krishnagiri and Ranipet, which runs to a distance of 372 km and the other via Kolar, Chittoor, Ranipet and Kancheepuram, which is 335 km long.