Why Bengaluru-Mysuru Road can't be called Expressway, clarifies NHAI

With a section of commuters taking to social media questioning the decision of enforcement agencies to penalise motorists exceeding speed of 100 kmph on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has come out with a clarification that that the recently upgraded highway is an access-controlled national highway and not an expressway.

The maximum allowable speed on this road is set at 100 kmph, as opposed to the 120 kmph limit typically associated with expressways. The enforcement authorities had initiated the move to impose penalties on overspeeding motorists in a bid to curb the increasing number of road accidents on the highway. However, those who took to social media platforms to raise objection argued that if the road is designated as an expressway, the speed limit should align with the standard 120 kmph for expressways.

Also read: How Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway is changing travel in South India

Local authorities have employed AI-based cameras and interceptors to enforce speed limits on the road. The Bengaluru police department also plans to deduct fines directly from FASTag accounts of vehicles caught speeding above 100 kmph on the six-lane highway.

Why not expressway?

Vivek Jaiswal, NHAI’s regional officer, told ToI that their notifications explicitly designate the road as an access-controlled highway, not an expressway.

Jaiswal clarified, “The highway is designed for a maximum speed limit of 100 kmph, not 120 kmph. While the infrastructure might resemble that of an expressway, the enforcement agencies are applying speed limit regulations appropriate for an access-controlled highway.” He also pointed out the recent notifications that specify varying speed limits for different types of vehicles using the main carriageway, ranging from 80 kmph to 100 kmph.

Also read: Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway | Over 100 people died in accidents last 6 months: Govt

ADGP (Traffic and Road Safety) Alok Kumar backed the NHAI’s clarification, confirming that the newly upgraded Bengaluru-Mysuru road is, in fact, an access-controlled NH-275 maintained by the NHAI, rather than an expressway.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account had announced the inauguration of the “Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway” prior to its launch on March 13. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, and advertisements released by the previous BJP government in the state had also referred to the project as an expressway.