Vehicles were stuck on the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway due to frequent breakdowns leading to traffic jams. | Photo credit: Darshan Devaiah BP
Many commuters using the partially completed Bengaluru-Chennai expressway have expressed concern over frequent breakdowns at the toll plazas, saying technical glitches in the fully automated system are causing traffic jams and eroding the time-saving benefits the project promises.
The expressway, which is expected to reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai to under three hours, is still under construction. Of the total length of 262 km, around 71 km have been completed so far. The stretch between Hedigenabele, near Hoskote, and Sundarapalya, near Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), became informally accessible to motorists in December 2024. While the bulk of construction on the Karnataka side is complete, work is still ongoing in Tamil Nadu.
Commuters say problems arise mainly at automated toll booths, especially near Agrahara, where FASTag-related errors often prevent barricades from opening.
Ravikumar, a regular user of the stretch, said he had witnessed such problems several times. “Often, the FASTag lane fails and vehicles pile up quickly. With no staff at the toll booths, motorists are left honking their horns for several minutes. Finally, someone comes out of a nearby control room with a handheld scanner to manually read the FASTag. Only then does the barrier open. By then, several precious minutes have been lost,” he said.
One outage will delay everything
Another commuter, Pavan Rao, who recently traveled from KGF to Bengaluru, said that although the expressway has reduced travel time significantly, such mistakes at toll booths will cause traffic problems. “I was able to reach Bengaluru from KGF in about 50 minutes, a journey that usually takes around one-and-a-half hours. However, the benefit was offset by a 25-minute delay near the Agrahara toll plaza,” he said.
According to Mr Rao, the delay was triggered when the vehicle ahead had a blacklisted or uncharged FASTag. “Since the barrier did not open for this vehicle, all vehicles behind them were forced to wait, resulting in a traffic jam. The authorities must understand that a fully automated barrier without adequate human support on the ground can turn into chaos. At the same time, motorists must take responsibility and ensure that FASTags are recharged in time, as one person’s failure will eventually affect dozens of others,” he added.
The expressway is expected to act as a major economic catalyst along its corridor that runs from Hoskote in Karnataka to Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Once fully operational, it will offer a faster and more efficient alternative to the existing 340 km route via Hosur, Krishnagiri and Ranipet, which usually takes around six hours to cover due to congestion and city traffic.
Meanwhile, officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) did not respond to the glitches at the toll plaza or the lack of staff at the automated booths.
Bengaluru-Chennai Project Status
Meanwhile, on 10 December 2025, an unstarred Rajya Sabha question highlighted progress on highway infrastructure between Bengaluru and Chennai.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, responding to a question on the project status of the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway widening and upgrading, said, “The entire Chennai-Bengaluru stretch of NH-48 and NH-44 was upgraded to four lanes during 2001-44. projects with a total length of about 318 km are under implementation, of which about 287 km have already been completed. Further, four Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway projects with a total length of about 106 km at a cost of about ₹5,976 crore.
Published – 18 Jan 2026 20:38 IST
