NHAI invites bids for ₹17,000-cr Bengaluru-Chennai expressway

The NHAI has invited bids for one package of the 263-km Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway. The work on this four-lane expressway project, which will provide high-speed and seamless connectivity to two logistics parks in Bengaluru and Chennai, is all set to start shortly. The project has been divided into 10 packages, three each in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and four in Tamil Nadu. After completion, smaller vehicles can travel between Chennai and Bengaluru in less than two-and-a-half hours. Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari informed that NHAI has set March 2024 the deadline to make this stretch operational at an investment of ₹17,000 crore. NHAI has set strict timelines for the award of contracts and the implementation of all the 23 expressways and greenfield highway projects already finalized by the transport ministry.