More than half of the construction for the four-lane brownfield Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (BCE) has been accomplished in Tamil Nadu, amounting to 55% completion at a cost of Rs 5,971 crore. This access-controlled roadway, managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), traverses through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
NHAI aims to finalize the project by the end of the current calendar year. In Tamil Nadu, the construction is divided into four packages, featuring three rest areas, two truck lay-bys, 34 major bridges, 31 minor bridges, three rail overbridges, and three interchanges. Notably, the segment between Walajapet and Arakkonam demonstrates the most rapid progress, with 62.22% completion.
In Karnataka, 87% of the work has been completed, costing Rs 5,465.08 crore. This section of the expressway will incorporate four grade separators, 15 major bridges, 47 minor bridges, 63 underpasses, four toll plazas, and one truck lay-by. Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, construction is underway across three stretches, totaling Rs 4,259 crore. Road-laying activities have commenced on all stretches, with an average completion rate of 40%.
The BCE Project spans approximately 258 km during its construction phase and spans seven districts: Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, and Kolar in Karnataka; Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh; and Vellore, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu.
News by Rahul Yelligetti