NE 7
Bengaluru–Chennai Expressway
Also known as Bangalore–Chennai Expressway (BCE)
262 km
Being built
3 states
Expressway
Route
NE 7 runs 262 km from Hoskote, Karnataka to Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
Crosses Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Through Hoskote, Malur, Bangarpet, Chittoor, Arakkonam, Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur.
Why it matters
This is the first proper expressway between two of south India's biggest cities — Bengaluru, India's technology capital, and Chennai, a huge port and car-making centre. Factories along the corridor at Hoskote, Chittoor and Sriperumbudur move parts and finished vehicles between the two cities every day, and a three-hour road link makes that far easier. It also gives the towns of Kolar and Chittoor districts, which today depend on the slow, congested old highway, a fast way into both metros.
History
This is a brand-new expressway being built on a fresh path between Hoskote near Bengaluru and Sriperumbudur near Chennai, instead of widening the old highway. Planners picked a completely new route because the old Bengaluru–Chennai highway, NH 48, threads through one town after another and can never be made free of crossings and traffic lights. The new road crosses Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and is fenced so that vehicles can only get on or off at proper interchanges. The 71 km Karnataka stretch was finished first and opened in December 2024, followed by a stretch in Andhra Pradesh. Land purchase, forest clearances and a contract dispute on the Tamil Nadu packages have pushed the full end-to-end opening to around 2027.
Good to know
- Expected to cut the Bengaluru–Chennai drive to roughly 3 hours.
- A greenfield expressway — built on an entirely new alignment, not on top of the old road.
- Designed for speeds of up to 120 km/h.
- The 71 km Karnataka section was the first stretch to open to traffic.
- Runs south of the old Bengaluru–Chennai highway through Kolar and Chittoor districts.
- Built under the central government's Bharatmala road-building programme.
- You can only join or leave at a handful of interchanges — there are no village crossings or U-turns in between.
- Roughly 71 km of the route is in Karnataka, about 85 km in Andhra Pradesh and about 106 km in Tamil Nadu.
Timeline
- 2021Construction begins in packages across three states
- 2024The 71 km Karnataka stretch is completed in December and starts carrying traffic
- 2026A 25 km stretch opens in Andhra Pradesh, taking the open length to about 100 km
- 2027Full route targeted to open end to end
Key junctions
- Hoskote (Karnataka) — the Bengaluru end, where the expressway meets the highways out of the city and the Satellite Town Ring Road
- Bangarpet / Kolar Gold Fields — main exit for the Kolar district towns
- Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh) — the expressway's main access point in Andhra Pradesh
- Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu) — eastern end, joining NH 48 toward Chennai
On the road
Until the whole road opens, most drivers still use the old NH 48, which takes five to six hours. The finished Karnataka stretch from Hoskote toward the Kolar Gold Fields area has been free to use so far and is a quick way out of east Bengaluru. Like most new expressways, it has very few fuel pumps and food stops so far, so fill up and eat before you get on, and remember there are no U-turns between interchanges.
What’s coming next
- The four-lane carriageway sits on land wide enough to add more lanes as traffic grows.
- A six-lane elevated corridor is planned from Sriperumbudur to Maduravoyal on the edge of Chennai, so expressway traffic can reach the city and the port; the first stretch, Maduravoyal to Poonamallee, has been put out to tender.
More details
- Lanes
- 4 lanes, access-controlled (built for expansion later)
- Project cost
- ₹17,930 crore (approx.)