Nearly four years since it was announced, the first phase of the eagerly awaited renovation of the Bengaluru-Mysuru national highway will be completed in September, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said in Parliament. Replying to a question by Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Gadkari said that the 61km-stretch between Mysuru and Nidaghatta (near Maddur) is likely to be completed by early September.
The cost for this stretch is Rs 2,919 crore, out of which Rs 1,939 crore has been spent, Gadkari said. Meanwhile, the 56.2 km-stretch between Nidagatta and Bengaluru is likely to be opened to the public by October 20 this year. The Union minister added that the six main carriageways in the 10-lane Mysuru-Bengaluru expressway will be ready for public use by the end of October this year, barring a few design tweaks and addition of entry and exit roads from major towns along the way. He also stated that once the expressway is ready, travel time between the two cities will reduce from three hours to about 90 minutes.
Mysuru and Kodagu MP Pratap Simha said that there will be a delay in the formal opening of the fully finished expressway, as residents have made fresh demands. He said that changes being sought include shifting the Ganaguru toll plaza, and entry and exit points with rest areas in Srirangapatna, Mandya, Maddur, Bidadi and Ramanagar. The minister also added that nearly 80% of the work is completed.
The new Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway will connect the two cities to various other places, including Chikkamagluru, Kodagu, Mangaluru, and certain parts of Kerala. The 117-km stretch of the highway will be equipped to deal with the heavy traffic between the two cities, especially during weekends and holidays. The stretch will also reportedly include as many as 72 major and minor bridges, 41 vehicle underpasses and 13 pedestrian underpasses and four rail overbridges.