National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is considering the construction of an 18-km road to connect the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway, within Karnataka limits, to the Bengaluru-Kolar Highway (NH 75).

The proposal aims to enhance accessibility for motorists heading towards border areas of Andhra Pradesh and destinations such as Chittoor and Tirupati, while potentially enabling toll collection from expressway users. Recently, NHAI opened a 68-km stretch of the expressway in Karnataka without levying tolls, as construction in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is still underway. At present, motorists are using this stretch primarily for travel between Hoskote and KGF (Bethamangala). However, the lack of a continuous route forces them onto village roads after exiting the expressway.

“Though the expressway is open for motorists, there is no end-to-end connection,” said an NHAI official. “What we are contemplating is upgrading district roads and village roads by linking the expressway with NH 75 from Sundarapalya to the Mulbagal side. If this is done, it would cater to a greater number of users, and we will have grounds to collect fees as we provide linkage to reach major destinations.”

Currently, between 1,800 and 2,000 vehicles use the newly opened stretch daily, a number that continues to rise. NHAI has requested technical details from the Kolar district’s executive engineer to assess the feasibility of road upgrades.