A view of the Silk Board corridor, one of Bengaluru’s busiest stretches linking major IT hubs and metro stations.
Credit: DH FILE PHOTO
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has approved a proposal to redevelop a 17-km stretch of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) between Silk Board Junction and the KR Puram metro station at an estimated cost of Rs 450 crore.
The project will be executed in two packages, with the state government bearing 50% of the cost and the remainder to be shared by the Bengaluru East and South City Municipal Corporations, official documents show.
As per a government order (GO) issued recently, the tech corridor has been split into Package 1 — the 5.44-km Silk Board–Iblur Junction stretch at a cost of Rs 143 crore — and Package 2, covering the 11.57-km Iblur Junction–KR Puram section at Rs 307 crore.
The Silk Board–KR Puram stretch is among Bengaluru’s most heavily congested corridors, serving multiple IT hubs and metro stations.
Beyond routine resurfacing, the GO states that the creation of a bus priority lane will be part of the project scope. Officials clarified that bollards will not be installed continuously; instead, demarcation will be achieved through “digital fencing, bollards at strategic locations, and road markings”.
Proposed works include reconstruction of footpaths, creation of cycle lanes, white-topping at junctions, installation of vertical gratings to mitigate flooding in low-lying areas, overhead gantries and signage, deployment of advanced traffic-management technologies, utility ducts, and beautification.
Development of roads connected to the ORR also forms part of the plan.
The proposal was cleared by a technical expert committee comprising domain specialists, the document notes. The committee recommended the use of technologies such as stamped concrete layers, cold plastic paint, and glass grids.
The project will be implemented through Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE SPV).
A senior B-SMILE official said tenders are expected to be floated in the first week of the new year. Another official said members of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) would be involved during the execution phase to ensure better quality.
However, officials noted that large portions of the ORR service roads were recently asphalted by the municipal corporations, raising concerns over possible duplication of work. The scope of the project also does not include development of spaces beneath flyovers, it is learnt.