The Central government has decided to shorten the planned Chennai–Surat National Highway, originally part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. The expressway, initially designed to span 1,271 km across six lanes, will now cover around 900 km.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways cited difficulties in acquiring land between Nashik and Surat, along with delays in obtaining environmental approvals, as the main reasons for the change, News18 reported.
Instead of stretching all the way to Surat, the new route will now terminate at Nashik. Initially, the expressway was set to exceed 1,200 km and connect Surat to Chennai. The estimated cost of the project was about Rs 50,000 crore. With the new plans seeing the stretch end in Nashik, the road will be over 300 km shorter.
Revised route of Chennai-Nashik Expressway
The original route would have passed through several major cities, including Surat, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Kalaburagi, Kurnool, Kadapa, and Tirupati, linking Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
With the new alignment, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will construct a greenfield expressway from Bharvir Khurd on the Samruddhi Expressway to Tawa village on NH-48, the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway. Officials say this stretch is designed to provide similar traffic mobility as the earlier Surat–Nashik portion of the expressway.
The original plan split the project into two parts: a 513 km stretch from Surat to Solapur and a 707 km stretch from Solapur to Chennai. The revised route shortens the total distance but retains the objective of connecting central and southern India efficiently.
Impact on travel and connectivity
Despite the reduction in length, the six-lane, access-controlled expressway will allow vehicles to travel at speeds up to 120 kmph, reducing travel time.
Once completed, it is expected to strengthen connectivity across multiple states, boost economic activity, and provide a faster, safer route for long-distance travellers.
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