Approximately 65 per cent of the work on the four-lane, access-controlled greenfield Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (BCE) in Tamil Nadu has been completed. The expressway spans 105.7 km across several districts, including Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Vellore, and Ranipet. It starts at Sriperumbudur and ends at Gudipala in Andhra Pradesh, from where it will continue to Bengaluru. The remaining work in Tamil Nadu is expected to be finished by August 2025, which will significantly reduce the travel time and distance between Chennai and Bengaluru, according to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The package between Walajapet and Arakkonam, covering 24.5 km, has made the most progress, with over 84 per cent of the work completed. The civil work for this section cost Rs 6.62 billion, while utilities amounted to Rs 200.46 million. Following this, around 70 per cent of the work has been completed on the 24 km Gudipala-Walajapet section. Over 64 per cent of the work has been completed on the 31.07 km stretch from Kancheepuram to Sriperumbudur. The section between Arakkonam and Kancheepuram, however, has seen the least progress, with only about 52 per cent of the work completed, as reported by officials.
An engineer associated with the Rs 170-billion project mentioned that, as the project is greenfield, land acquisition has not been a major issue, since most of the road passes through open land. However, challenges arose in relocating electricity towers that were situated along the expressway's route, which required time to obtain approval from the respective revenue department authorities.
The project will feature 34 major and 31 minor bridges, totalling a combined length of 15 km. The longest bridge will stretch for 840 meters. The Tamil Nadu portion of the expressway will also include six toll plazas, which will be situated at the interchanges.
