Bengaluru: Four infrastructure firms bid for Hebbal short tunnel

Bengaluru: Four infrastructure companies have participated in the tender to construct a six-lane short tunnel road at Hebbal, which is aimed at easing chronic congestion at one of the city’s busiest traffic junctions. 

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which opened the bids last week, has estimated the project to cost Rs 1,086 crore even as some mobility experts have questioned its long-term utility. 

Sources confirmed that construction companies such as Dilip Buildcon Limited (DBL), Max Infra (India) Ltd, Cemindia Projects and Rithwik Projects are in the fray. Unlike the 17-km North-East Tunnel Road project (Hebbal-Silk Board Junction), which saw only two eligible bidders, the BDA has attracted better response with all four companies carrying the experience of tunnelling and complex civil engineering projects. 

As part of the tender process, BDA officials are expected to first evaluate the technical bids to assess eligibility, experience in tunnel construction and financial capacity. Financial bids will be opened subsequently, following which the contract may be awarded. On paper, the BDA has set a target of completing the short tunnel project in 18 months. 

In December, the BDA floated tenders for the 2.18-km tunnel road, which will have entry and exit ramps at Esteem Mall and Baptist Hospital. The underground road also includes construction of a railway underbridge and will be built using a cut-and-cover method, meaning no tunnel boring machines will be used. The short tunnel will pass under the down ramp of the Hebbal flyover and the edge of Hebbal lake. 

Notably, the short tunnel is coming up on a stretch, especially around the Hebbal flyover, where multiple agencies have proposed different projects in a bid to improve mobility, including an underground metro line, a suburban railway corridor and the 17-km tunnel road. 

Sathya Arikutharam, an independent mobility expert, believes the short tunnel will not add any value in addressing congestion. 

"Even the justification for this project is hilarious," he remarked. "The government had proposed this project as an immediate relief measure on the grounds that the longer tunnel takes a decade to complete. The same government has conveniently forgotten that it increased the cost of the longer tunnel by Rs 2,300 crore just to complete its construction in 26 months," he said. "Even the Finance Department had questioned the need for a short tunnel."