The Bengaluru-Tumakuru highway extension project, work on phase one of which is underway, will be completed by the end of August 2025, Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari has said. The project includes widening the existing Nelamangala-Tumakuru National Highway (44.04 km) from four lanes to 10 lanes at a cost of Rs 8.44 billion. Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha recently, “The six-laning of the Nelamangala to Tumakuru section, including Tumakuru Bypass, of National Highway-48 has been divided into two phases. The first phase comprises the construction of service roads, and the second phase, construction of the main carriageway. Construction work in phase one has started, and the originally scheduled completion date for the entire project is August 24, 2025.” When the extension is complete, the Bengaluru-Tumakuru highway will become the third 10-lane expressway for Bengaluru after the Bengaluru-Nelamangala, and Bengaluru-Mysuru highways. The greenfield highway project, which has been taken up under the Bharatmala scheme, will consist of 17 flyovers, including railway overbridges. It will include a six-lane expressway with four-lane service roads on either side. This will be a big boost for the industries and residential areas, including the Sompura Industrial Area which has more than 500 industries. The project will also provide better connectivity to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. Moreover, along with the Bengaluru Satellite Ring Road, it will benefit Nelamangala, Doddaballapur, and Devanahalli satellite towns. See also: Highway construction fails to achieve FY23 targetNHIDCL inks MoU with NIT Manipur for highway tech