In a bid to improve road connectivity in Southern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Surat-Chennai Expressway in Karnataka on January 19, 2023. The foundation stone was laid for the two Greenfield sections of this six-lane expressway.
Update: To augment the inter-state connectivity and boost the road outreach in Southern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Surat-Chennai Expressway in Karnataka on January 19, 2023. Work on two Greenfield sections, the Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar section in Gujarat and Maharashtra-Akkalkot-Mahabubnagar section in Maharashtra-Karnataka-Telangana, will be carried out on priority on the expressway.
Surat-Chennai Expressway: Current status
The expressway is a 1,270 km-long highway between Chennai and Surat. The PM laid the foundation stone for Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar section in Gujarat and Maharashtra-Akkalkot-Mahabubnagar section in Maharashtra-Karnataka-Telangana. The stretch would pass through Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kalaburgi, Kurnool, Kadappa and Tirupathi. These two sections have a total length of 66 km and 71 km, respectively. The cost of each project will be Rs 2,000 crore and Rs 2,100 crore, respectively. And while the roads between Surat and Ahmednagar in Gujarat and Akkalkot and Mahabubnagar in Maharashtra will have Greenfield alignments, the other corridors will be widened from the existing two-lane to four-lane roads.
K R Kiran, Project Director, NHAI, Hyderabad, averred that the six-lane Pune-Bangalore Highway has saturated and cannot handle additional traffic; therefore, a new route has been planned via Akkalkot, Mahabubnagar and Tirupati. (more details on Informations only.com)
Surat-Chennai Expressway: Key features
- The Greenfield sections are Economic Corridors. These include Surat–Nashik–Ahmednagar–Solapur Economic Corridor (564 km) and Solapur–Kurnool–Chennai Economic Corridor (707 km)
- The entire Surat-Chennai Expressway is 1271 km
- The deadline for the six-lane expressway is December 2025
- The corridor will pass through major cities like Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kalaburgi, Kurnool, Kadappa, and Tirupati
- The maximum speed limit set is 120 km/hr
Surat-Chennai Expressway: Route map
A combination of two partially controlled economic corridors is planned along the Surat-Chennai Expressway. The map shows the construction of Greenfield stretches and the upgradation of Brownfield sections.
Surat-Chennai Expressway: Challenges in the development
The six-lane expressway from Surat to Chennai under the Bharatmala project crosses 21 villages of Shahpur and Wadagera taluks in Yadgir district, and lands were acquired for a 65 km stretch, with dry land costing Rs 9 lakh per acre and irrigation land costing Rs 19 lakh per acre. The farmers complained that they had lost their fertile land for the project, and the administration is not helping them get adequate compensation for land acquisition.
Surat-Chennai Expressway: Impact on real estate
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already given the contract for Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the Greenfield stretch between Surat and Ahmednagar. The development is under various stages of execution in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Telangana. In terms of real estate the Surat-Chennai Expressway will result in the growth of corporates on economic corridors.
The development will indefinitely boost the connectivity between Chennai and Mumbai as it would reduce the distance between the two cities by 100 km. Currently, vehicles from Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu have to take an alternative route via Karnataka to reach Mumbai. However, the highway would bring some respite to travellers. The industrial development along the stretch will give rise to a floating population along the expressway, which in turn will provide a boost to real estate demand. (more details on Informations only.com)