Credit: DH Photos
Bengaluru: The 16.75-km Bengaluru tunnel road project has undergone a major redesign, with authorities dropping at least three entry and exit ramps that were originally planned at Mehkri Circle.
In the revised plan, a new exit ramp — passing underneath Sankey Road before emerging on the opposite side of the lake’s entrance at 18th Cross in Malleswaram — has been added.
These last-minute changes to the detailed project report (DPR), which indicate absence of long-term planning, were reportedly introduced to accommodate another project along the same corridor which involves building a two-km tunnel road beneath Hebbal junction to ease congestion on the existing flyover.
Under the original plan, the north–south twin-tube underground road featured a total of 16 ramps in order to serve different areas along the alignment.
Four ramps each were proposed at Hebbal, Mehkri Circle and Vidhana Soudha, while Lalbagh and St John’s Hospital were to have two each.
In the revised design, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) has dropped three of the four ramps at Mehkri Circle — two meant for vehicles between CV Raman Road and the airport, and an 820-metre exit ramp towards Jayamahal Road.
Only the entry ramp from Jayamahal to the main tunnel towards Silk Board Junction has been retained.
Instead of exiting at CV Raman Road, vehicle users travelling north from Silk Board will now take a left near Bangalore Golf Club, with the new exit ramp emerging close to Sankey Tank. This underground stretch will run approximately
2.45 km.
Beyond Mehkri Circle, B-SMILE has made minor adjustments to the alignment at Hebbal to avoid diversion of a nala (stormwater drain) and small design changes at St John’s Hospital on Hosur Road to expand the cut-and-cover section, which involves open excavation rather than boring.
The redesign is expected to save around Rs 419 crore from the project’s initial estimates, officials said. However, with an estimated total outlay of Rs 17,800 crore, citizen groups argue the government could save much more by shelving the “car-centric” project altogether.
Meanwhile, others have voiced concerns over the environmental impact, particularly near Sankey Tank, a British-era waterbody in North Bengaluru.
“An exit ramp near the lake will only worsen traffic at the junction where vehicles from 18th Cross, Sampige Road and Sankey Road meet. More importantly, it could endanger the lake’s ecosystem,” said Preeti Sunderajan of Citizens for Sankey. “We don’t know how strong the bund beneath Sankey Road really is. Digging a tunnel there could pose a serious risk, especially since downstream areas like Vyalikaval are residential.”
Responding to the criticism, B S Prahallad, Technical Director at B-SMILE, said the changes were necessary to integrate the short tunnel at Hebbal but insisted the new ramp would pose no threat to the lake or its waste weir.