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Surat–Chennai Expressway

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Surat–Chennai Expressway is an under-construction, 1,271 km (790 mi) long, 4/6-lane access-controlled expressway, which will connect the second largest city of Gujarat, Surat, with the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, in India.[2] It will pass through six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It will be operated and maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and will reduce both travel time and distance from around 35 hours to around 16 hours, and from approximately 1,570 km (980 mi) to 1,271 km (790 mi). It is being built at a cost of ₹ 45,000 crore (~US$5.5 billion), which was earlier slated at ₹ 50,000 crore. It will be the second longest expressway in India, after the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway.[3][4]

Surat–Chennai Expressway
Route information
Maintained by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
Length1,271 km (790 mi)
ExistedDecember 2026 (expected)[1]–present
Major junctions
North endSurat, Gujarat
South endChennai, Tamil Nadu
Location
CountryIndia
StatesGujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
Major citiesSurat, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Barshi,Osmanabad, Solapur, Kalaburagi,Yadgiri,Raichur, Kurnool, Kadapa, Tirupati and Chennai
Highway system

History

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To facilitate socio-economic development, economic growth and trade in India by ensuring faster and better transportation of goods from northern to southern India, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) planned to build a highway from Surat to Chennai, in 2021, which will help to improve connectivity, industrial activities and trade by creating a direct link, and develop the regions of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and central Maharashtra, which at present lack them altogether as compared to other industrial regions in the country. This will also help to transport goods directly from the national capital to South India via the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and this expressway. The ministry stated that the project will be built at a cost of ₹ 50,000 crore.[5] In January 2023, the project was approved by the Government of India and included it in the Bharatmala Pariyojana's Phase-II. It will be built at a cost of ₹ 45,000 crore (~US$5.5 billion), and the foundation stone for the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the construction of the expressway's Karnataka to Akkalkot section, on the same month.[6] The expressway is expected to be completed by December 2026.[7]

Route

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The expressway will start from Surat in Gujarat, pass through six states, districts and their states, and terminate at Chennai, Tamil Nadu.[8]

Gujarat

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Maharashtra

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Karnataka

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Telangana

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Andhra Pradesh

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Tamil Nadu

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Construction

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The expressway has been divided into two sections based on the region's topography–Greenfield and Brownfield, as well as economic corridors. The expressway will be built using the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) of construction. The two sections are described in the following:[9]

Surat–Solapur Economic Corridor

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The Surat–Nashik–Ahmednagar–Solapur Economic Corridor is the first part and the northern section of the expressway, which will be fully greenfield, six-lane and access-controlled. It will pass through two states–Maharashtra and Gujarat start from Surat in Gujarat, as the expressway's starting point, and will cover the cities of Nashik, Ahmednagar and Solapur, until the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. It will be 513 km (319 mi) in length, out of which the Surat–Ahmednagar section will cover 288 km (179 mi) and the Ahmednagar–Solapur–Akkalkot until the Maharashtra-Karnataka border section will cover 225 km (140 mi). This section's Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been completed by the Hyderabad-based joint venture firm, Aarvee Associates–Nag Infrastructure Engineers and Consultant JV. This section will be built at a cost of ₹ 30,000 crore. Currently, this section is under bidding, design preparation and land acquisition. It has been divided into 14 packages, which are described in the following table:[10]

Packages Chainages[a] Contractor Status
Package-1 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-2 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-3 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-4 Ambegaon (107.000 km) to Chehedi Khurd (146.000 km), Nashik district TBA Bidding process underway
Package-5 Chehedi Khurdh (146.000 km) to Kahandalwadi (190.560 km), Nashik district TBA Bidding process underway
Package-6 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-7 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-8 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-9 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-10 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-11 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-12 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-13 TBD TBD Pending notice
Package-14 Hasapur (Solapur district)(512.000 km) to Badadal (Maharashtra-Karnataka border) (548.400 km) G. R. Infraprojects Ltd. Land acquisition underway

Solapur-Chennai Economic Corridor

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The Solapur–Kurnool–Chennai Economic Corridor is the second part and the southern section of the expressway, which will be a mix of greenfield and brownfield sections, six/four-lane[b] and access-controlled. The alignment of this part also lies mostly on the existing National Highway 150C (NH-150C). It will pass through five states–Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. It will be 707 km (439 mi) in length, out of which the greenfield section from Akkalkot to Kurnool will cover 230 km (140 mi), while the remaining 477 km (296 mi) from Kurnool to Chennai, where it will terminate, will be the brownfield section. This section's Detailed Project Report (DPR) is underway, and will be built at a cost of ₹ 15,000 crore. Currently, this entire section is under bidding, DPR preparation and land acquisition, except the Karnataka section, for which the construction has been started on the Akkalkot–Yadgir section, since January 2023, into two sections (or packages), one with a length of 71 km (44 mi), which is being built by PNC Infratech, and another with a length of 65.5 km (40.7 mi), which is being built by Dilip Buildcon Limited. Due to this, these two sections of the expressway will be completed one year before the scheduled deadline of December 2026, i.e., in December 2025.[12] It has been divided into 8 packages, which are described in the following table:[13]

Maharashtra

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Packages Chainages[c] Contractor Status
Package-1 Akkalkot to Maharashtra-Karnataka Border at Badadal (0.000 km to 26.000 km) TBD Pending notice

Karnataka

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Packages Chainages Contractor Status
Package-1 Maharashtra-Karnataka Border at Badadal to Maradgi, Andola, (Kalaburagi district) (26.000 km to 97.000 km) PNC Infratech Pvt. Ltd. Under construction
Package-2 Maradgi, Andola to Baswantpur, Raichur district (97.000 to km 162.500 km) Dilip Buildcon Ltd. Under construction
Package-3 Baswantpur to Singnodi (162.500 km to 203.100 km), Raichur district Monte Carlo Ltd. Under construction

Telangana

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Packages Chainages Contractor Status
Package-1 Karnataka-Telangana border at Raichur-Gadwal road to Julekal (Mahabubnagar district) (202.900 km to 242.200 km) Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) Under construction
Package-2 Julekal to Kurnool, terminating on National Highway 40 (NH-40) (242.200 km to 280.400 km) Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) Under construction

Andhra Pradesh

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Packages Chainages Contractor Status
Package-1 4-laning of NH-716 from Kadapa to Chinna Orampadu (from 260.652 km to 196.125 km of NH-716) Laxmi Infrastructure Limited Land acquisition underway
Package-2 4-laning of NH-716 from Chinna Orampadu (designed: 64.200 km /existing: 196.125 km of NH-716) to Renigunta on NH-565 near Tirupati Airport (designed: 121.935 km/existing: 137.000 km of NH-565) Laxmi Infrastructure Limited Land acquisition underway

The bidding process for the remaining stretch until Chennai is underway, as of February 2023.[14]

Benefits

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The expressway will benefit the entire country, as follows:[15][16]

  • Trade: As the expressway will connect North and South India, 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 western parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, central Maharashtra and along the Western Ghats, well known for its environment, thus resulting in the development of local economies.
  • Connectivity: The expressway will create a direct connection between North and South India, resulting in faster, safer and better commute, by avoiding the existing congested routes via Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai, as well as reducing travel time and distance considerably, from around 35 hours to around 16 hours, and from approx. 1,570 km to 1,271 km.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.

Environmental concerns

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In July 2022, in a meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the EAC raised concerns on the alignment of the northern part of the expressway from Surat to Ahmednagar, through the Western Ghats region, which is ecologically sensitive, and the project could result in a serious harm to the region's environment due to deforestation and soil erosion, as well as pollution. So, the EAC recommended the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to change the expressway's alignment by avoiding the Ghats section. However, the MoRTH and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) gave an appeal to the EAC to negotiate the issue and requested to give way to the project, as the design preparation, packages and their bidding process and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the entire northern section of the expressway, including the Ghats section, are underway, and if changed the alignment, it may reduce the impact and benefits of the expressway on the places through which it will pass. The NHAI said that the construction procedure will be using modern and sustainable methods in that section to minimize any environmental damage, as much as possible.[17]

Status updates

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Distances from the origin of the expressway, i.e., Surat.
  2. ^ The second half of Andhra Pradesh until Chennai will have four lanes as part of the expressway, by widening some existing two-lane highways.[11]
  3. ^ Distances from the starting point of the second half of the expressway, i.e., Akkalkot.

References

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  1. ^ "Surat – Chennai Expressway – Information & Status". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Surat – Chennai Expressway – Information & Status". The Metro Rail Guy. 25 June 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  3. ^ Khurana, Jasmine (31 January 2023). "Surat Chennai Expressway: Key Features, Route Map, and Cost". MagicBricks. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Rs. 50,000 crore Expressway to connect Surat to Chennai". DeshGujarat. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Rs. 50,000 crore Expressway to connect Surat to Chennai". DeshGujarat. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. ^ "PM Modi lays foundation stone for Karnataka section of 6-lane Surat-Chennai Expressway". Times Now. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Surat Chennai Expressway Route Map, Cost, Progress, and More - Infra Info Hub". 8 April 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Surat Chennai Expressway Route Map, Cost, Progress, and More - Infra Info Hub". 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Surat-Solapur Economic Corridor – Information & Status Update". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Surat-Solapur Economic Corridor – Information & Status Update". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Rs. 50,000 crore Expressway to connect Surat to Chennai". DeshGujarat. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  12. ^ "PM Modi lays foundation stone for Karnataka section of 6-lane Surat-Chennai Expressway". Times Now. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Solapur-Chennai Economic Corridor – Information & Status". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Solapur-Chennai Economic Corridor – Information & Status". The Metro Rail Guy. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  15. ^ Khurana, Jasmine (31 January 2023). "Surat Chennai Expressway: Key Features, Route Map, and Cost". MagicBricks. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  16. ^ "PM Modi lays foundation stone for Karnataka section of 6-lane Surat-Chennai Expressway". Times Now. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Surat-Chennai economic corridor runs into green hurdle". Construction World. 24 August 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Rs. 50,000 crore Expressway to connect Surat to Chennai". DeshGujarat. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  19. ^ "14 Bidders for Surat – Chennai Expressway's Package 2 in Telangana". The Metro Rail Guy. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  20. ^ "PM Modi lays foundation stone for Karnataka section of 6-lane Surat-Chennai Expressway". Times Now. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
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