The ever-rising traffic has always been a bane to the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru. Once a laidback city known for its pleasant climate and vibrant culture, it now has frustrating delays, chaotic intersections, and snarling traffic jams.
Respected authorities have tried their best to solve this puzzle and are still trying to bring a cure to this problem. Beyond the inconvenience, this gridlock has grown to impact productivity, economic growth, and the environment.
The Karnataka Government has now announced that they’re planning to build a 99km long tunnel highway to make it easier for people to commute. This will be the World’s longest tunnel road infrastructure ever built.
The upcoming elevated tunnel network in Bengaluru will consist of three corridors. Firstly, the North-South Corridor will connect Bellay to Hosur Road and pass through key areas such as Yelahanka, Hebbal, Mekhri Circle, Cantonment, Kasturba Road, and Central Silk Board.
The second corridor will be the East-West Corridor, which will get two additional corridors. The first one will stretch from Varthur Kodi to Jnanabharati, whereas the second section will run from KR Puram to Goraguntepalya, passing through Old Madras Road.
The tunnel project will have three connecting corridors. The first corridor will link St. John Hospital Junction to Agara Road. The second corridor will connect the East and West corridors of 1 and 2. The third corridor will extend from Wheeler’s Road Junction to Kalyannagar on Outer Ring Road.
After the first evaluation, it was reported that it’d cost around Rs 22,000 crore to cover a distance of approximately 50 kilometres, connecting Hebbal to KR Puram and Cantonment to Silk Board.
The route for phase I will go through St. Johns Road, Halasuru, Mehkri Circle, Jayamahal Road, Old Madras Road, and KR Puram. The Cantonment-Silk Board route, on the other hand, will pass through BaleKundri, Double Road, Lal Bagh, and Hosur Road.
The plan is to build a bi-directional tunnel with both the lower and upper decks. Along with that, a barricaded provision is possible, made for two-wheelers to travel in both directions on the upper deck.
The estimated cost for tunnelling one kilometre of this project is said to be around Rs 450 crore. The implementation of the project will be done in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
According to the PP system, the government will provide partial subsidies through a hybrid annuity model and recover the investment through tolls collected from users using the tunnel network for transportation.
Even though there are challenges and considerations, the tunnel highway will transform the city’s transportation landscape. In addition to reducing traffic jams, the project will improve connectivity and enhance economic growth.
If the project succeeds, this will be one of the mega infrastructures humans have ever made. Looking at the scale, it requires careful planning and an unwavering commitment to ensure its successful execution and longevity.
