Karnataka: Four laning of national highway in Sira section to start soon, says MoS Somanna

MoS (Railways & Jal Shakti) V Somanna on Thursday said construction will soon start on the four-laning of the 20.2 km Sira–Badavanahalli section of NH-69 in Tumakuru district.

The national highways authority of India (NHAI) has completed the tendering work, Somanna, said in a statement while thanking PM Narendra Modi and road transport & highways minister Nitin Gadkari for sanctioning the project. Somanna represents Tumakuru in the Lok Sabha.

The proposal for the 32 km Badavanahalli–Bairenahalli four-laning project, estimated to cost Rs 1,000 crore, is in final stages of approval.


The proposed 52 km Sira–Badavanahalli–Bairenahalli four-lane corridor, once commissioned, will significantly improve connectivity between Central Karnataka, North Karnataka, Kalyana Karnataka, Tirupati and Chennai, Somanna said. The project is expected to cost about Rs 1585 crore.

The project, on completion, will cut the travel distance to Tirupati by about 60 km, enabling commuters to reach Tirupati from Sira via Madhugiri, Chikkaballapur and Chintamani in about four hours, the MoS said.

The project will also strengthen road connectivity from the Vasanthanarasapura and Sira Industrial areas to the Chennai port, while serving as an important alternative corridor between Sira and Bengaluru, complementing the proposed second international airport for Bengaluru, the minister said in his statement.

The Union Government is bearing the entire cost of these projects, including land acquisition, Somanna added.