Tenders have been invited for the construction of three sections of the greenfield access-controlled Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to Gudipula in Andhra Pradesh, for a total distance of 74 km.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is implementing the 262 km-long road project, has invited bids in three packages, costing ₹2,497 crore in total.
“We hope that by March 2021, we would have signed the agreement with the concessionaire. Construction is likely to commence by September next year,” an official source at the NHAI said.
The road, which will allow speeds of up to 120 kmph, would be constructed under the hybrid annuity mode, where a portion of the costs is borne by the Central government and the contractor is paid an annuity.
Around 70% of the 2,295 hectares of land required for constructing the four-lane expressway, which would cut travel time between the two metro cities, is in the possession of the NHAI. The environmental clearance for the project is under progress and tenders for one section of the road in Karnataka were called for some time ago.
The project, upon completion, would have nine major bridges, 144 minor bridges, 143 culverts, 53 pedestrian underpasses and 41 vehicular underpasses. It is projected to have traffic of 3,09,116 passenger car units by 2024, and 4,40,755 passenger car units by 2029.
