BBMP plans double-deck tunnel from Hebbal to Mekhri Circle

Bengaluru: The BBMP has decided to build a tunnel road between Hebbal junction and Palace Grounds near Mekhri Circle on a pilot basis to ease traffic congestion on Ballari Road. 

The 3-km underground road is going to be double deck — one heading to the city and another towards the airport — and boat-shaped, with additional entry and exit points near the Veterinary College. 

These are some of the preliminary details of Bengaluru’s first tunnel road that is being designed by Altinok Consulting Engineering, a multinational firm tasked by the BBMP to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the project. 

Sources in the BBMP told DH that the bottom layer of the tunnel road will have three lanes and the top one is going to be two-lane. “Unlike the underground Metro, which has twin tracks next to each other, the tunnel road will be double deck,” the source said. 

The BBMP has identified vacant land next to the storm water drain in Hebbal for providing the ramps and the land abutting Palace Grounds will also be used for building entry and exit points.

“It will be a boat-shaped design,” B S Prahlad, engineer-in-chief of the BBMP, told DH. “We are taking it as a pilot project. Considering the opposition towards removal of trees and acquisition of land in prime areas, we believe building the tunnel road is going to be cheaper.” 

Other than designing the tunnel road, the agency is expected to study the upcoming Metro and suburban railway stations at Hebbal. Besides the station, the Namma Metro is also building an underground Metro corridor on a portion of the Hebbal-Sarjapur line, which is currently in the design stage. 

Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who holds Bengaluru Development portfolio, has been advocating tunnel roads to decongest traffic but mobility experts feel any car- or personal vehicle-centric solutions have much less shelf life compared to investments in public transport. 

The Congress government had proposed a steel flyover on the same stretch on Ballari Road but the project was dropped owing to its high cost and opposition to removal of trees.