The construction of the Panaji–Hyderabad Expressway, part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana under the Hyderabad–Panaji Economic Corridor, is gathering pace across Karnataka.

The four-lane, access-controlled highway is designed to improve freight movement and economic integration between Goa, Karnataka and Telangana by linking Panaji, Belagavi, Raichur and Hyderabad. In Bagalkot district, nearly 90 percent of land acquisition for the 102-km stretch has been completed, with civil works already underway. The Union government is investing about Rs 12,000 crore in the project, which is being executed under the hybrid annuity mode (HAM).

In Karnataka, the highway is divided into four packages, with two passing through Bagalkot, where more than 645 hectares of land have been acquired and nine major flyovers planned. The entirely new alignment is expected to trigger commercial activity along the corridor and ease transport of sugarcane, cement, minerals, cotton and fruits. Once completed in the next two years, the expressway is expected to significantly boost regional development.