| Country: | IND |
| Header Type: | UC |
| Bengaluru–Vijayawada Expressway | |
| Length Km: | 518 |
| Direction A: | West |
| Direction B: | East |
| Terminus A: | 1. NH-44, Bengaluru, Karnataka 2. Kodikonda, Sri Sathya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh |
| Terminus B: | 1. NH-16, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 2. Addanki, Bapatla district, Andhra Pradesh |
| Established: | 2026/27[1] |
| States: | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh |
| Towns: | Bengaluru, Chikkaballapur, Kodikonda, Gorantla, Nallamada, Sri Sathya Sai district, Pulivendula, Mydukur, Kadapa, Mallepalle, Vangapadu, Addanki, Podili, Guntur, Mangalagiri, Amaravati and Vijayawada[2] |
| Maint: | National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) |
| Districts: | Karnataka: Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district, Chikkaballapura district; Andhra Pradesh: Sri Sathya Sai district, Kadapa district, Nellore district, Prakasam district, Bapatla district, Guntur district, Krishna district, NTR district[3] |
The Bengaluru–Vijayawada Expressway, also known as Bengaluru–Kadapa–Vijayawada (BKV) Expressway and classified as NH-544G,[3] [2] is an under-construction -long, six-lane access-controlled expressway between the cities of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka and Vijayawada, the second-largest city of Andhra Pradesh. It will pass through 11 districts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh–3 in Karnataka and 8 in Andhra Pradesh. It will start from the existing National Highway 44 (NH-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 (NH-16) at Addanki in Bapatla 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 (NHAI), and will reduce both travel time and distance by 12–13 hours to only 8–9 hours, and from 630 km to 518 km (391 to 321 mi). It will be built at a cost of about, which was earlier slated at . It is also named as the 'BKV Expressway', as it will bypass Kadapa and its district.[4]
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.[3] [1]
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 (NH-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.[5] [2] 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.[2] The initial plan was revised in September 2022 when the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) declared the expressway as National Highway 544G (NH-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.[6] [7]
All 14 packages of the construction were awarded by February 2023. Since March 2023, the preparatory works for the construction have been ongoing.[3] 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.[1]
The expressway will start from Kodikonda in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, from where it will be linked with National Highway 44 (NH-44) to link Bengaluru. Then, it will pass through the Rayalaseema region and Podili Prakasam district before ending in Addanki, located in Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh, from where it will be linked with National Highway 16 (NH-16) to link Vijayawada. The expressway will pass through the following towns in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) 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 (MEIL) 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 (HAM) 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.[3] [7] [8] [9] [10] [1]
| Packages | Chainages | Contractor | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Package-1 | Kodur (0.000 km) to Vanavolu (24.300 km), Sri Sathya Sai district | Dilip Buildcon | |
| Package-2 | Vanavolu (24.300 km) to Vankarakunta (45.700 km), Sri Sathya Sai district | Raj Path Infracon | |
| Package-3 | Vankarakunta (45.700 km) to Odulapalle (72.000 km), Kadapa district | Raj Path Infracon | |
| Package-4 | Odulapalle (72.000 km) to Nallacheruvupalli (96.300 km), Kadapa district | Dilip Buildcon | |
| Package-5 | Nallacheruvupalli (96.300 km) to Yerragudipadu (129.000 km), Kadapa district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-6 | Yerragudipadu (129.000 km) to Audireddipalle (160.000 km), Kadapa district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-7 | Audireddipalle (160.000 km) to Mallepalle (176.000 km), Kadapa district | Dilip Buildcon | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-8 | Mallepalle (176.000 km) to Kavulakuntla (196.000 km), Kadapa district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-9 | Max Infra (I)–Bekem Infra Projects (JV) | Land acquisition completed | |
| Package-10 | Narayanampet (203.500 km) to Chandrasekharapuram (228.000 km), Prakasam district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-11 | Chandrasekharapuram (228.000 km) to Polavaram (260.000 km), Prakasam district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-12 | Polavaram (260.000 km) to Marripudi (285.500 km), Prakasam district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
| Package-13 | KNR Constructions | Land acquisition completed | |
| Package-14 | Somavarappadu (314.600 km) to Muppavaram (343.240 km), Bapatla district | Megha Engineering & Infrastructures (MEIL) | Land acquisition completed |
The expressway will benefit not only southern and eastern India, but also the entire country, as follows:[11] [12]