<p>The Karnataka government’s proposed tunnel road project continues to draw flak from numerous quarters. Civic activists, urban planners and environmentalists who Metrolife spoke to cited data-backed reasons why the ambitious undertaking is ‘bound to be a failure’.</p>.<p>At an estimated cost of Rs 17,698 crore, the 16.74-km tunnel will connect Hebbal with Silk Board Junction. The initial stage of construction is expected to affect green spaces in prime locations such as Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Race Course Road and St John’s Medical College Hospital, Koramangala. Authorities claim that much of the land used will be restored post construction. The tunnel can help commuters skip 25 traffic bottlenecks and cut travel time from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, deputy CM D K Shivakumar stated on X last month. However, experts believe the project will have more drawbacks than benefits.</p>.<p>“Our traffic congestion woes are more severe today than they have ever been. Obviously, there is something fundamentally flawed with the way these infrastructure projects are approached by governments,” says Ashish Verma, professor of transportation systems engineering at Indian Institute of Science.</p>.Staggered shifts, shared rides: Will it save Bengaluru's ORR from drowning in traffic?.<p><strong>Low throughput</strong></p>.<p>The tunnel road will just “shift points of congestion”, he believes. Verma notes that the goal of a mobility system is to increase throughput of people and goods with minimal negative impact on the people, the environment and resilience of the city.</p>.<p>The number of passengers who can commute on the 3.5 mtr-wide lane per hour per direction is 1,800. If it is a metro rail, that number goes up to 69,000. The road will likely not have access for buses. “So it will largely be for four- and two-wheelers. But two-wheelers may be banned if what happened with the Blr-Mys expressway is anything to go by. At a steep toll of Rs 318 each way, some car owners will also be discouraged from using it. So how many people are going to use it?” he asks.</p>.<p>With 1,500 to 2,000 newly registered vehicles being added to our roads each day, this is going to be woefully inadequate. The only solution, according to Verma, is ensuring 80% of all daily commutes are done through public transport, walking and cycling. “The government must develop infrastructure keeping this in mind,” he says.</p>.<p>According to Brinda Sastry, urban designer and urban planner, the tunnel road proposal is not a sustainable answer to Bengaluru’s traffic woes. The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (developed by the Department of Urban Land Transport and BMRCL in 2020) proposes policies that integrate land uses and transportation networks to ease congestion. This plan considers improving rail- and road-based public transport, as well as non-motorised transport, which will provide walkable and people-friendly alternatives to personal vehicle usage. The tunnel road project will negatively impact the quality of life of Bengalureans,” she shares.</p>.<p><strong>Inadequate ventilation</strong></p>.<p>The variations in height will have a negative impact on air and noise pollution, says Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens for Citizens. For instance, at Hebbal, the proposed tunnel road is at a height of 890 metres above sea level, while at Mekhri Circle, four kilometres away, it is expected to be 55 metres higher.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“With just three air vents across the 16 km stretch, the exhaust and emissions will have a cumulative effect on the enclosed space. When using a higher gear to climb elevated stretches, fuel consumption goes up and so do noise levels,” Dugar explains.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He adds that, as per his calculations, the commute will likely be longer if time taken to enter and exit ramps and merging traffic on surface roads are taken into account. With a metro line with 10 stations coming up in the same route, the tunnel is redundant, he elaborates.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A noted civic activist explains that the tunnel might solve the problem for a short time. But in the long run, it will add to the congestion. The challenges and delays in construction will complicate it further. “Short tunnels are a good idea where there is a major intersection, such as Gorguntepalya,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With metro and suburban trains coming up, he says tunnels should be considered where public transport doesn’t exist.</p>
<p>The Karnataka government’s proposed tunnel road project continues to draw flak from numerous quarters. Civic activists, urban planners and environmentalists who Metrolife spoke to cited data-backed reasons why the ambitious undertaking is ‘bound to be a failure’.</p>.<p>At an estimated cost of Rs 17,698 crore, the 16.74-km tunnel will connect Hebbal with Silk Board Junction. The initial stage of construction is expected to affect green spaces in prime locations such as Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Race Course Road and St John’s Medical College Hospital, Koramangala. Authorities claim that much of the land used will be restored post construction. The tunnel can help commuters skip 25 traffic bottlenecks and cut travel time from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, deputy CM D K Shivakumar stated on X last month. However, experts believe the project will have more drawbacks than benefits.</p>.<p>“Our traffic congestion woes are more severe today than they have ever been. Obviously, there is something fundamentally flawed with the way these infrastructure projects are approached by governments,” says Ashish Verma, professor of transportation systems engineering at Indian Institute of Science.</p>.Staggered shifts, shared rides: Will it save Bengaluru's ORR from drowning in traffic?.<p><strong>Low throughput</strong></p>.<p>The tunnel road will just “shift points of congestion”, he believes. Verma notes that the goal of a mobility system is to increase throughput of people and goods with minimal negative impact on the people, the environment and resilience of the city.</p>.<p>The number of passengers who can commute on the 3.5 mtr-wide lane per hour per direction is 1,800. If it is a metro rail, that number goes up to 69,000. The road will likely not have access for buses. “So it will largely be for four- and two-wheelers. But two-wheelers may be banned if what happened with the Blr-Mys expressway is anything to go by. At a steep toll of Rs 318 each way, some car owners will also be discouraged from using it. So how many people are going to use it?” he asks.</p>.<p>With 1,500 to 2,000 newly registered vehicles being added to our roads each day, this is going to be woefully inadequate. The only solution, according to Verma, is ensuring 80% of all daily commutes are done through public transport, walking and cycling. “The government must develop infrastructure keeping this in mind,” he says.</p>.<p>According to Brinda Sastry, urban designer and urban planner, the tunnel road proposal is not a sustainable answer to Bengaluru’s traffic woes. The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (developed by the Department of Urban Land Transport and BMRCL in 2020) proposes policies that integrate land uses and transportation networks to ease congestion. This plan considers improving rail- and road-based public transport, as well as non-motorised transport, which will provide walkable and people-friendly alternatives to personal vehicle usage. The tunnel road project will negatively impact the quality of life of Bengalureans,” she shares.</p>.<p><strong>Inadequate ventilation</strong></p>.<p>The variations in height will have a negative impact on air and noise pollution, says Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens for Citizens. For instance, at Hebbal, the proposed tunnel road is at a height of 890 metres above sea level, while at Mekhri Circle, four kilometres away, it is expected to be 55 metres higher.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“With just three air vents across the 16 km stretch, the exhaust and emissions will have a cumulative effect on the enclosed space. When using a higher gear to climb elevated stretches, fuel consumption goes up and so do noise levels,” Dugar explains.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He adds that, as per his calculations, the commute will likely be longer if time taken to enter and exit ramps and merging traffic on surface roads are taken into account. With a metro line with 10 stations coming up in the same route, the tunnel is redundant, he elaborates.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A noted civic activist explains that the tunnel might solve the problem for a short time. But in the long run, it will add to the congestion. The challenges and delays in construction will complicate it further. “Short tunnels are a good idea where there is a major intersection, such as Gorguntepalya,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With metro and suburban trains coming up, he says tunnels should be considered where public transport doesn’t exist.</p>