Mysuru: The Mysuru-Kushalnagar four-lane Highway project, spanning 92 kms, is making steady progress, with construction actively underway on two key stretches.

Road construction is in progress at the 19-km section from Agrahara in Srirangapatna to Yalachanahalli in Mysuru taluk and the 24.10-km segment from Belthur in Hunsur taluk to Harave Mallarajapattana in Periyapatna.

However, the project has encountered hurdles on the 22-km stretch from Kushalnagar to Madikeri, where environmentalists have raised objections and filed legal challenges. As a result, work will proceed only up to Kushalnagar, according to former  MP Prathap Simha.

The recent approval of Package 3 by the Centre is set to streamline travel along the Bengaluru-Mysuru-Madikeri corridor. Once completed, the Highway is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Kushalnagar.

According to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, the new alignment will begin at Guddehosur near Kushalnagar and end near Srirangapatna, connecting to the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway 275.

The project also includes bypasses at Periyapatna and Kushalnagar to ease traffic congestion. Officials emphasised that the chosen route primarily traverses agricultural and dry lands, minimising social and environmental disruptions.

The project traces its origins to 2018, when the then MP Prathap Simha secured approval from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for the Mysuru-Madikeri four-lane Highway. However, environmental concerns over the Kushalnagar-Madikeri segment led to the formulation of the Mysuru-Kushalnagar alternative.

The project gained further momentum on March 12, 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the bhoomi puja (ground-breaking ceremony) during the inauguration of the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway  near Gejjalagere.