The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is moving ahead with plans to significantly upgrade the northern road corridor of Bengaluru as part of the upcoming Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada expressway project.
Following the successful connectivity of eastern Bengaluru to the Chennai expressway via Hoskote, NHAI is now preparing detailed project reports to link northern Bengaluru with the Vijayawada expressway. A key component of this initiative involves upgrading a 90-kilometre stretch of the existing NH-44 between Bengaluru and Hyderabad into a 10-lane highway.
The upgraded section will feature a six-lane main carriageway extending from Devanahalli in Karnataka through Chikkaballapura to Kodikonda in Andhra Pradesh. At Kodikonda, the expanded highway will seamlessly merge with the greenfield Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada expressway, which stretches over 342 kilometres up to Muppavaram in Andhra Pradesh.
The expressway project is expected to bring a substantial reduction in travel time. Once completed, the journey between Bengaluru and Vijayawada is projected to come down from the current 11–12 hours to approximately 6–7 hours.
The draft detailed project report is expected to be ready by February, with road widening works proposed to begin at Kannamangala Gate near Devanahalli. NHAI already holds most of the land required for the project, although railway overbridges will need to be constructed at three locations along the stretch.
The upgraded highway will integrate with the existing Satellite Town Ring Road at Devanahalli, while a new cloverleaf interchange is planned at Kodikonda to ensure smooth traffic movement.
In addition to capacity expansion, safety upgrades are also being planned. NHAI will install 1.5-metre safety barriers along a 12.5-kilometre stretch and street lighting across 12 kilometres between the trumpet interchange and Devanahalli, addressing concerns related to increasing accident rates on the corridor.
