TN Part of Bengaluru Expressway Project Delayed

With 22 of 102 towers on Arakkonam-Kancheepuram road still to be shifted, project will only be over by June next year

- B ANBUSELVAN @Chennai

The construction of the 106-km Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway in Tamil Nadu, between Gudipala and Sriperumbudur, has hit a roadblock.

The work has been delayed mainly due to the relocation of 102 high-voltage power towers and transmission lines in the Arakkonam-Kancheepuram (25.5 km) section. These DC towers of 400 kV transmission lines, linked to multiple substations in Kancheepuram and Ranipet districts and managed by the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (TANTRANSCO), obstruct nearly 4.5 km of the planned expressway at multiple places on this stretch, officials said.

"Unlike regular land acquisition, relocating power towers involves securing new land parcels, realigning transmission routes, and addressing several technical challenges. Of the 102 towers, about 80 have already been shifted, and arrangements are in place to relocate the remaining 22," an official said.