Bengaluru–Vijayawada Expressway

The Bengaluru–Vijayawada Expressway, classified as NH-544G, is an under-construction -long, six-lane access-controlled expressway between the cities of Bengaluru and Vijayawada, via Kadapa. It will pass through 11 districts –3 in Karnataka and 8 in Andhra Pradesh. It will start from the existing National Highway 44 at Kodikonda in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, which connects Bengaluru and beyond to the south, pass through the Rayalaseema region and end in National Highway 16 at Addanki in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, which connects Vijayawada and eastern India to the north. By joining the existing national highways to link the two cities, the overall length of the expressway is about. It will be operated and maintained by the National Highways Authority of India, and will reduce both travel time and distance by 12–13 hours to only 8–9 hours, and from. It will be built at a cost of about, which was earlier slated at.
The expressway will have three sections of brownfield and greenfield sections, of which the -long main section from Kodikonda to Addanki will be greenfield, while the remaining two highway sections till Bengaluru and Vijayawada will be brownfield. Of the total, it will be 36% brownfield and 64% greenfield. The project is a part of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-II. The preparatory works for the expressway's construction are ongoing since March 2023, after all 14 packages of the expressway were awarded to contractors in February 2023. The foundation stone for the expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March 2024. It is expected to be completed by 2026/27.

History

Due to rapidly increasing traffic, congestion, and demands in the existing national highways in southern India, the capital of Karnataka, Bengaluru, remains disconnected to eastern and north-east India because of the traffic constraints and limited capacities of the highways. To get access to eastern and north-eastern India, it currently takes about 12–13 hours to reach Vijayawada either through Chennai or National Highway 16. This contributes to significant congestion, delays, pollution and risk of mishaps. Hence, in 2021, the Government of Andhra Pradesh submitted a proposal to the Government of India to build a new expressway connecting Bengaluru and Vijayawada, and the plan was approved by the Government of India in August of the same year. The expressway would cover a distance of the total distance of, through Anantapur. The remaining would be covered by connecting with the existing national highways. It would be built at a cost of, and would reduce the travel time and distance between the two cities by at least and 3 hours. The initial plan was revised in September 2022 when the National Highways Authority of India declared the expressway as National Highway 544G, and began to invite the tenders for its construction in December 2022, the month from which the land acquisition also began. The expressway will now be built at a cost of and will cover a total distance of, of which will be the main greenfield section within Andhra Pradesh, while the remaining brownfield portions will connect the two cities through the existing national highways.
All 14 packages of the construction were awarded by February 2023. Since March 2023, the preparatory works for the construction have been ongoing. Therefore, the foundation stone of the expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March 2024. The project's cost has been revised to, and is expected to be completed by 2026/27.

Route

The expressway will start from Kodikonda in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, from where it will be linked with National Highway 44 to link Bengaluru. Then, it will pass through the Rayalaseema region and Podili, Kanigiri Prakasam district before ending in Muppavaram, located in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, from where it will be linked with National Highway 16 to link Vijayawada. The expressway will pass through the following towns in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Construction

The National Highways Authority of India has divided the expressway's construction into 14 packages, which include only the -long greenfield section from Kodikonda to Addanki. The technical bids were invited by the NHAI for the construction September 2022, and floated the bids for the packages in December 2022. In January 2023, of the 13 bidders that participated for the first four packages, the packages were awarded to Dilip Buildcon and Raj Path Infracon, of which Dilip Buildcon won the tenders for the first and fourth packages and Raj Path Infracon won the tenders for the second and third packages. The last tender for the last package was awarded to Megha Engineering & Infrastructures in February 2023. The expressway has been divided into two sections based on the region's topography–Greenfield, which includes the section from Kodikonda to Addanki, and Brownfield, which includes the existing national highway stetches till Bengaluru and Vijayawada. The lanes of the expressway will be wide, and its sections will consist of a paved or unpaved shoulder with a depressed median. It will be built using the Hybrid Annuity Model of construction. As of March 2024, the preparatory works for the construction are ongoing, and the foundation stone for the construction has been laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The full-scale work is yet to begin. The following table lists the packages, their chainages, contractors and statuses.

Packages	Chainages	Contractor	Status
Package-1	Kodur to Vanavolu, Sri Sathya Sai district	Dilip Buildcon
Package-2	Vanavolu to Vankarakunta, Sri Sathya Sai district	Raj Path Infracon
Package-3	Vankarakunta to Odulapalle, Kadapa district	Raj Path Infracon
Package-4	Odulapalle to Nallacheruvupalli, Kadapa district	Dilip Buildcon
Package-5	Nallacheruvupalli to Yerragudipadu, Kadapa district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under construction
Package-6	Yerragudipadu to Audireddipalle, Kadapa district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction
Package-7	Audireddipalle to Mallepalle, Kadapa district	Dilip Buildcon	Under Construction
Package-8	Mallepalle to Kavulakuntla, Kadapa district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction
Package-9	Kavulakuntla to Narayanampet, Nellore district	Max Infra –Bekem Infra Projects	Under Construction
Package-10	Narayanampet to Chandrasekharapuram, Prakasam district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction
Package-11	Chandrasekharapuram to Polavaram, Prakasam district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction
Package-12	Polavaram to Marripudi, Prakasam district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction
Package-13	Marripudi to Somavarappadu, Prakasam district	KNR Constructions	Under Construction
Package-14	Somavarappadu to Muppavaram, Prakasam district	Megha Engineering & Infrastructures	Under Construction

Benefits

The expressway will benefit not only southern and eastern India, but also the entire country, as follows:

Trade: As the expressway will directly connect southern India with eastern India and beyond, it will result in a high increase in transportation of goods and people, thus resulting in growth in exports, reducing dependency on imports, as well as industrial activities and accelerating economic development.
Tourism: It will facilitate tourism by promoting it in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other parts of eastern India due to their location in the Eastern Ghats, which are well known for its environment for potentials, thus resulting in the development of local economies.
Connectivity: The expressway will create a direct connection between eastern and southern India for the first time, resulting in faster, safer and better commute, by avoiding the existing congested route of National Highway 16 via Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Chennai, as well as reducing travel time and distance considerably, from around 13 hours to only 9 hours, and from approx. to.
Protection of the environment: To ensure the protection of green cover, trees and plants will be planted along and between the route of the expressway. There will be tunnel sections to pass through the Eastern Ghats sections of Cumbum and Nallamala Hills to safely avoid any impact on the environment.
Employment: Due to increase in industrial activities along the expressway's route, various agricultural and industrial initiatives will help the states' as well as the nation's economy and growth. The establishment of these numerous centres will result in multiple job possibilities for thousands of people living in both the states, and will result in immense socio-economic development.

Timeline

2021: The plan of the expressway was announced by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
August 2021: The plan of the expressway was approved by the Government of India and was included in the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
September 2022: The initial plan of the expressway was revised when the National Highways Authority of India declared the expressway as National Highway 544G and began to invite the technical bids for its construction.
December 2022: The NHAI invited the bids for the main packages of the construction. Land acquisition also begins.
January 2023: Out of 13 bidders, the first four packages of the expressway were awarded to Dilip Buildcon and Raj Path Infracon.
February 2023: The last package was awarded to Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited.
March 2023: The preparatory works for the expressway's construction began.
March 2024: The foundation stone for the expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March. Construction has begun in some sections, and is expected to be completed by 2026/27.