Mysuru: Former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Prathap Simha, who played a key role in the implementation of Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway project, said that the project’s success should not be measured merely by the over Rs. 1,000 crore collected through tolls, but by the 55,000 vehicles that use the highway every day.

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Simha said that the project remained stalled under the earlier agreement with Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and gathered pace only after it was entrusted to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2016 during the Modi government.

Prathap Simha said the original design prepared by a third-party consultant had significant shortcomings, including the absence of adequate entry and exit points. Design revisions and higher land acquisition costs increased the project cost from Rs. 6,400 crore to Rs. 8,448 crore.

Despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Simha said the highway was completed and inaugurated within the stipulated time frame in March 2023.

He said one of the key objectives behind expediting the project was to help transform Mysuru into an industrial hub by improving connectivity.

Mentioning that the corridor offers the most predictable travel time, Simha said commuters can now travel between Mysuru and Bengaluru in about 90 minutes to one hour and 45 minutes under normal traffic conditions when compared to the 3-hour travel time earlier.

Responding to criticism over toll charges, the former Mysuru-Kodagu MP said that the Highway helps save nearly four litres of fuel on a round trip, offsetting the toll cost, particularly for frequent users who opt for the monthly pass that allows up to 200 trips.