Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway Stalled by Land and Approval Issues

Swift Summary

• Project Details: The Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway is a 262-km greenfield project designed to cut travel time between the two cities to under three hours.
• Budget and Timeline: The project’s estimated cost is ₹15,188 crore. Completion is now expected between December 2025 and March 2026, delayed from earlier timelines due to obstacles.
• Key Challenges:

– Land acquisition issues in Karnataka (compensation delays, valuation problems, public resistance).- Environmental clearances needed in Andhra Pradesh near Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone.
– Engineering delays in Tamil Nadu related to controlled blasting and railway overbridge approvals near habitations.

• Additional Bottlenecks: demands for service roads, religious structure relocations, and compensating landowners for electricity line concerns have added complexity. Financial constraints of contractors have also slowed progress on certain project phases.
• Progress Update:

– Physical completion stands between 53% and over 90% across different stretches; about 71 km has been finished as of December 2024.
– Key pending sections include Byreddypalli-Bangarupalem (till March’26) & Sriperumbudur packages (**till Dec’25 finishing completions partially till phase locally!)!>>…. >>