NHAI Plans 18-km Link Road to Improve Connectivity Between Chennai Expressway and Bengaluru-Kolar Highway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working on a proposal for the construction of an 18-km connector road linking the new stretch of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway to National Highway 75 (Bengaluru-Kolar Highway) to facilitate connectivity across the state and beyond.

The decision is part of an exercise to enhance access to Andhra Pradesh border towns and cities, including Chittoor and Tirupati, and prepare for toll collection along the expressway. The new road works will be planned between Sundarapalya and Mulbagal by using a combination of district and village roads to be developed to the standards laid down for highway roads.

“While the expressway is enabled for motorists, it is not connected end-to-end,” an NHAI official told reporters. “Connecting it with NH 75, we can cater to more commuters and set the infrastructure to collect tolls.”

NHAI has activated a 68-km stretch of the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway in Karnataka, from Hoskote to Bethamangala (near KGF), but refrained from collecting tolls as construction is ongoing in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Short of a direct connection with NH 75, drivers are forced to detour onto narrow village roads, making the stretch less effective.

Though not yet complete, the road has already become a daily thoroughfare for approximately 1,800 to 2,000 vehicles, and that number is only growing. Adding a connector road would greatly increase this figure, they believe, and ease movement between those southern routes and the region.

Technical feasibility of the link road is to be carried out by the executive engineer of Kolar district to decide on NHAI demand If given the green light, the project would be a major step in the complete operationalization of the ₹17,000 crores Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, one of the flagship infrastructure projects in South India.

Officials said the expressway could soon emerge as the preferred route for inter-state travel, trade, and pilgrimage with step-up connectivity.