Travel From Chennai To Tirupati In Just 125 Minutes Soon As New Four-Lane Stretch To Slash Journey Time

Updated: Saturday, August 9, 2025, 13:27 [IST]

Travel between Chennai and Tirupati is about to get significantly faster, with the journey time expected to drop from the current 220 minutes (3.2 hours) to just 125-140 minutes.

Chennai To Tirupati In About 2 Hours

This is thanks to the four-laning of the 18-km greenfield highway between Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur, which is on track for completion by September. The upgrade is projected to cut 30-45 minutes from the trip, according to a report in The Indian Express.

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The travel time between Chennai and Tirupati is expected to decrease from 220 to 125-140 minutes due to the four-laning of an 18-km highway between Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur, which is set to be completed by September at a cost of ₹304 crore; additionally, the 44-km Tiruvallur to Tamil Nadu-Andhra border stretch is also being four-laned for ₹750 crore.

Travel From Chennai To Tirupati In Just 125 Minutes Soon

The highway links the Tiruvallur Bypass at Thirupachur with the Veppampattu Bypass at Thiruninravur along the Chennai-Tirupati Highway, passing through Thaneerkulam, Thozhur, and Sevvapet.

As per the report, 15 km out of 18 km stretch has been completed on August 1 and it will be an access-controlled, fully fenced national highway after the completion of the works. It has to be noted that the NHAI has also constructed service roads on both sides.

Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur Four Lane Cost

Currently, the NH-716 (Chennai-Tirupati Highway) begins at Padi and is four-laned up to Thiruninravur. The mid-section between Thiruninravur and Tiruvallur is constructed at a cost of ₹304 crore. The new link will allow motorists heading to Tiruttani and Tirupati to bypass Tiruvallur town and the Veppampattu bottleneck, as well as avoid the narrow two-lane Thiruninravur-Tiruvallur stretch.

It has to be noted that the 44-km Tiruvallur to Tamil Nadu-Andhra border stretch is also being four-laned at a cost of ₹750 crore.

A senior NHAI official told the English publication, "The four-laning of the 44-km stretch from Thirupachur (Tiruvallur) to Tirupati is currently under way, with service roads planned on either side. The work has just begun, and about 12% has been completed so far."

The Chennai-Tirupati Highway currently has four lanes for 22 km until Thiruninravur, with plans to expand it to six lanes. However, progress has stalled due to land acquisition issues.