In order to enhance inter-state connectivity, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to build a highway between Chennai and Surat. The 1,461 km-long highway will not only augment connectivity but will also help in boosting the property market of the two cities and its surrounding areas.
As per the Ministry officials, the highway will be developed under the central government’s ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana. The stretch between the two cities will pass through various cities of Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kalaburgi, Kurnool, Kadappa and Tirupathi. Moreover, the roads between Surat and Ahmednagar in Gujarat and Akkalkot and Mahabubnagar in Maharashtra will have Greenfield alignments.
The other corridors falling in between the stretch will be broadened from the current 2-lane to Four-Lane.
Elaborating more on the above, K R Kiran, Project Director, NHAI, Hyderabad said, “At present, the commuters who want to reach Chennai mostly travel via Pune-Bangalore Highway. Due to this, the route has already been saturated and can’t handle passenger pressure anymore. This has led NHAI to develop a new highway so that commuters can relieve themselves from traffic congestion.”
The highway between the two cities will also enhance connectivity between Chennai and Mumbai. The travelling distance will reduce by 100 km. Once the highway will be operational, the passengers don’t have to take an alternative route via Bangalore to reach Mumbai.
He further informed that the NHAI has already offered the contract of preparing DPR (Detailed Project Report) on the Greenfield stretch between Surat and Ahmednagar. The work on other stretches in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Telangana has also started which is currently in various stages of execution.