Bengaluru-Mangaluru Expressway to Cut Travel Time by 7-8 Hours

Against the backdrop of a Rs 18,000-crore mega infrastructure development plan for Karnataka, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will construct a new expressway connecting Bengaluru and Mangaluru via Hassan. According to the Indian government, the expressway will reduce the travel time between the two cities by 7-8 hours and will be a faster and more reliable medium than what is possible with the current route.

The expressway will be designed as 4 to 6 lanes to ensure better connectivity so that better nourishment is brought into regions from across the country while ensuring better road safety, decongestion of traffic and a seamless traveling experience across the whole length and width of the expressway, out of which NHAI in association with the Public Works Deskutuskalyk Karya Rajktam will undertake the construction of this expressway for a distance of 335 km.

In the Financial Year (FY) 2025, the government floated tenders to invite a consultant to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR). Nine companies submitted their technical bids in November. The project shall be constructed by local public sector units (PSUs) on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis or another agency, which was pending approval of a detailed project report (DPR) to be executed in 540 Days post-award in the next year.

If everything goes according to plan and the legal territory for the megacity is secured, construction will start no later than 2028 with everything to be completed by 2033. It was too to ease the principal corridor for road transport during the monsoon season, when delays and landslides are common, causing major traffic difficulties.

Building the Bridges of Connectivity and Growth:

The expressway will connect several cities apart from Bengaluru would pass through the Hassan district of Karnataka. By reducing congestion and cutting travel time, the new route would reinforce logistics and trade and become a regional economic driver.

Once operational, the high-speed corridor will provide an efficient and safe mode of transport between Bengaluru and Mangaluru. This is part of a mega reform by K-RIDE (Karnataka Road Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd) to expedite the regional growth of Karnataka.