It may be recalled that the earlier Congress government proposed to build a steel flyover to decongest traffic on Ballari Road, but had to drop it owing to strong opposition from civic groups.
| Photo Credit: PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY
The State Cabinet on Thursday gave administrative approval for a short tunnel- elevated corridor between Hebbal Junction and Mehkri Circle.
The project is estimated to cost ₹2,215 crore. It is different from the Hebbal-Silk Board (16.75 km) twin tunnel project for which tenders are under way. In fact, this project will force changes in the twin tunnel project as well.
It may be recalled that the earlier Congress government proposed to build a steel flyover to decongest traffic on Ballari Road, but had to drop it owing to strong opposition from civic groups.
The project was suggested by the Bengaluru Traffic Police as the long twin tunnel project will not allow two-wheelers and autorickshaws and therefore will not help ease traffic congestion in areas like Ganganagar, Sanjay Nagar, and R.T. Nagar, documents showed.
The project would solve local area traffic issues, sources said. It involves building a three-lane short transitory length twin tunnel from Hebbal Junction to Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries University (KVAFSU) for 2.27 km and an elevated corridor from the KVAFSU to Mehkri Circle.
A senior UDD official said that Mehkri Circle would be developed into a rotary interchange. “The flyover from the KVAFSU will be just one of the flyovers that will end at Mehkri Circle. We are planning other flyovers which will come and converge at the circle. So we are developing the key junction into a rotary interchange,” the official said.
This has now shifted the planned up-ramp and down-ramps to the Hebbal-Silk Board twin tunnel project from the Mehkri Circle.
The documents showed the project would be handled by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), and the cost would also be borne by the agency through its own resources. Earlier estimates by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) pegged the project cost at ₹1,325 crore. That has now ballooned to ₹2,215 crore. The B-SMILE had only planned for a tunnel and did not include the flyover, the sources said.
Published – December 04, 2025 11:50 pm IST
