The ambitious 262-km-long Bangalore-Chennai Expressway that will run through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka will require nearly 2,300 hectares of land.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently submitted land acquisition proposals to the revenue departments in the three States.
Sources in the NHAI said the project consultant had said the greenfield initiative would cost Rs. 7,000 crore, excluding cost of land acquisition. Following land acquisition, which would take a year and a half, the project will be completed in three years.
“Even as the land acquisition process is on, other work is being taken up. We have submitted the proposal for clearance from the ministry of environment and forests. We have also submitted proposal for diversion of forest land — 180 metres of reserved forest in Vellore district — to the district forest officer in Tamil Nadu. Soon, we will seek permission from railways for road overbridges. There are two in Tamil Nadu and one each in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,” said an NHAI official.
The highways authority had also recently changed the alignment in Karnataka as it passed through the Jadganehalli reserve forest area.
“In Andhra Pradesh too, we changed the alignment as it passed through the Royal Elephant reserve. It will now pass close to the existing old Chennai–Bangalore Road,” the official said.
The greenfield project will also act as a catalyst of development on the 262-km route from Hoskote near Bangalore to Sriperumbudur. “Connectivity to nearby highways will be improved at a later stage. The road will lead to development of nearby industrial areas,” he said.
The road will be access-controlled like the Chennai Bypass and have several major interchanges. “For every 25 km, there will be entry/exit points,” the official said.
The expressway will serve as an alternative to the popular NH 7 from Bangalore to Krishnagiri, NH 46 from Krishnagiri to Ranipet and NH 4 from Ranipet to Chennai.
The expressway, proposed under the National Highways Development Project, will take the Kolar, Chittoor route.
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