Surat-Chennai Expressway to Cut Travel Time from 36 Hours to 16, Connect Gujarat with 5 States
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The planned 6-lane Surat-Chennai expressway will cut travel time between Surat and Chennai to 16 hours from 36 hours, linking Gujarat with five southern and western states.
900-km Corridor to Connect Key Cities
The expressway is being developed under the Bharatmala project and will connect Gujarat with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The corridor is expected to strengthen road connectivity and speed up the movement of passengers and goods between western and southern India.
The project was earlier proposed as a 1,271-km corridor. Following a route and administrative change separating the Surat-Nashik section, the main project is now being referred to as the Nashik-Chennai Expressway, with a length of about 900 km.
Despite the change, the wider corridor will provide the key connection between Surat and Chennai.
Route to Cover 6 States
The greenfield corridor will pass through several major industrial, religious and tourist centres.
- Gujarat: Surat
- Maharashtra: Nashik, Ahmednagar, Solapur, Akkalkot
- Karnataka: Kalaburagi, Raichur
- Telangana: Garhwal
- Andhra Pradesh: Kurnool, Kadapa, Tirupati
- Tamil Nadu: Chennai
The new route is expected to reduce the journey time significantly compared with existing conventional national highways, where heavy traffic currently makes the Surat-Chennai trip take around 35 to 36 hours.
Maharashtra Section Gets Approval
The Maharashtra government has approved the 374-km Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkote greenfield section at an estimated cost of ₹19,142 crore.
Land acquisition has also progressed on the 177-km stretch between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where construction has begun.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation will connect the route with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway through the Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samridhi Mahamarg.
NHAI Sets 2027 Target
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set a target to complete the entire expressway by the end of 2027.
The corridor will also have an indirect connection with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, while connectivity to Tirupati and other major centres is expected to support tourism and regional transport.
