Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Corridor may open by January

Most of the carriageway on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Corridor will be opened by January 2023, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate it in the first week of March. In March 2014, the Union Ministry of Surface Transport had announced that some roads across the country would be upgraded to National Highways, and the Bengaluru-Mysuru road was among them. NHAI is converting the highway (NH 275) into 10 lanes, including a six-lane expressway. The 117-km highway, stretching between the NICE entrance in Bengaluru and Ring Road Junction in Mysuru, is expected to cut travel time to 90 minutes from an average of three hours. The distance between the state capital and Mysuru is around 140 km. The entire stretch is expected to have two toll gates and Rs 200 to Rs 250 will be charged at each toll. Earlier this year, Union Minister for Roads and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that the Rs 81.72-billion corridor was being constructed at a record speed and would be completed by October. But due to various reasons including heavy rain, work got delayed. As per the plan, the corridor will have nine major bridges, 44 minor bridges and four rail over-bridges. Sources in the state government said that in a few places, villagers are demanding the construction of bridges and underpasses. See also: Work on Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata expressway to begin in JanEast Coast Road in TN to be widened in Rs 70 bn project