A new green expressway between Bengaluru and Chennai is expected to reduce travel time between the two cities to 2 hours. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari made the announcement that India will be constructing 26 green expressways in the next three years which will help to reduce the time between various cities including Bengaluru and Chennai.

He also said that once the expressway is built, one will be able to travel from Chennai to Bengaluru in just 2 hours. Currently, this distance takes around 5 to 6 hours via road.

What is a Green Expressway?

Green Expressways are constructed with the aim to promote the development of eco-friendly roads across the country with the participation of farmers, the private sector, and government institutions including the forest department. Trees are planted alongside the roads of green expressways and their maintenance is done by various stakeholders.

Here is all you need to know about the upcoming Bengaluru to Chennai Green Expressway:

It will be a four-lane expressway connecting Bengaluru to Chennai

The foundation of the expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2022

The expressway will stretch 262 km and will be built at a cost of over Rs14,870 crore, as per a Live Mint report

It will pass through the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Some of the other areas it will pass through are Kolar Gold Fields, Chittor, Ranipet, Bangarpet, Malur, and Palamner

The expressway will start from Hoskote on the outskirts of Bengaluru, and it will pass the above-mentioned towns on the way. It will end at Sriperumbudur in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu

The project has been divided into three phases of construction by the NHAI (National Highway Authority of India)

There will be four-lane double-decker elevated roads

About six private companies are said to be executing the construction of the green expressway in south India

The green expressway will consist of eight major bridges, 103 minor bridges, and 17 flyovers

Also, four spur roads (shorter roads that branch from a long road) have been proposed. These roads will divert to Dabaspet (Karnataka), Kolar Gold Fields (Karnataka), Konadaspura (Karnataka), and Katpadi (Tamil Nadu). Only one spur road (Kolar Gold Fields) has been approved so far

The current average commute time between Chennai and Bengaluru is five to six hours by road. The green expressway project is expected to be completed by October this year