Mysore/Mysuru: Come September 2022, drive from Mysuru to Bengaluru in just 90 minutes from the present three hours as the works on Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway that is being upgraded to a 10-lane Highway and as an Economic Corridor is scheduled to be completed on Sept. 7, 2022.

Works on the Highway that was literally stopped due to COVID-19 pandemic has picked up pace now with officers from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and contractors racing against time to complete the already delayed project that is worth over Rs. 7,400 crore, including land acquisition.

The project has been taken up under the Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase I that has been approved by the Government of India, under which Bengaluru to Mysuru stretch is envisaged as an Economic Corridor. 

Traffic density has increased the duration of travel between Bengaluru and Mysuru. Once the Highway project is completed, the commute time between the two cities is expected to reduce significantly. The 118-kilometre long and 10-lane Highway begins on the outskirts of Bengaluru near the Vokkaliga Mahasamsthana after Kengeri (Panchamukhi Ganesha Temple) and ends at Naguvinahalli near Mysuru where it connects the 93-km six-lane Mysuru-Kushalnagar Economic Corridor Expressway Project along the Mysuru-Madikeri NH-275.

A bypass road is being constructed after Naguvinahalli between Paschimavahini and Naguvinahalli. This road will not touch Srirangapatna and will connect the 10-lane Highway after K. Shettihalli. 

Yesterday, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha inspected the Highway works along with NHAI officials and asked them to stick to the deadline. Apart from seeing the Highway expansion works that are being undertaken, the MP also visited the site of a new bridge that is being constructed across River Cauvery near Ganjam that will be a part of the bypass road. 

The Union Government, in 2014, had declared the earlier 376-km State Highway 17 and State Highway 88 from Bengaluru to Bantwal via Mysuru as National Highway 275. Later it was announced that the stretch between Mysuru and Bengaluru would be upgraded as a 10-lane Highway. The 10-lane Highway comprises six-lane ‘Access Controlled Expressway’ with two-lane service roads on either side to segregate rural traffic. 

The actual work, however, started only in early 2019 instead of 2018, as there were issues, including land acquisition, shifting of amenities and legal aspects. The stretch includes nine major bridges, 44 minor bridges and four road over bridges. 

Picture above shows pre-cast concrete blocks being lined up on the banks of River Cauvery to construct a bridge across the river. Picture below shows the bridge works.

Two packages

The NHAI has awarded the project to Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon and the project is fully funded by the Centre including the distribution of compensation for the land acquired.  The Company has taken up the highway works in two packages — Bengaluru to Nidaghatta in Maddur and Nidaghatta to Bengaluru. 

The Highway will have an elevated corridor of about 8 kilometres and six bypass roads have been proposed for Bidadi, Ramanagara, Channapattana, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna for an aggregate length of 51.5 km.

According to NHAI officials, the total estimated cost for Package-1 is Rs. 3,900 crore and for Package-2 is Rs. 3,500 crore. The deadline for Package-1 has been fixed on Feb. 9, 2022 and for Package-2, the deadline is Sept. 9, 2022. Till now, 51 percent of Package-1 has been completed while 30 percent of Package-2 has been completed.