The State Government has sought the assistance of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India to build a 63-km-long, three-lane twin tunnel road connecting Peenya-Hebbal-K.R. Puram-Hosur on National Highway-44 to ease the traffic congestion in Bengaluru city.
State Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi mooted the proposal during his meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Jarkiholi also discussed the proposal for constructing a flyover at Hebbal junction in Bengaluru city on NH 44.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is slated to visit Singapore with a team of senior officials to gain first-hand experience with tunnel roads.
In a recent meeting with officials, Shivakumar discussed plans to construct a short tunnel road near KR Puram to facilitate a smooth commute between Outer Ring Road, Hosakote, and Mahadevapura.
The idea of building tunnel roads to ease traffic congestion has been proposed many times before but has faced strong opposition from environmentalists and public transport activists.
Previous plans to build tunnel roads have been abandoned due to cost concerns and adverse feasibility reports.
In 2017, a Bulgarian company was entrusted with preparing a preliminary report to create a Tunnel Road for the city.
The tunnel road, estimated to cost Rs. 25,000 crores, was proposed for a length of 83 kilometres and included three corridors (North-South: Central Silk Board to Hebbal through the city (16 km); East-West: K R Puram to Gorguntepalaya and Jnana Bharathi to Varthur Kodi). Additionally, three connecting corridors were proposed: Agara to Kalasipalya (9.2 km), Richmond Circle to Halasuru (2.3 km), and Kalyan Nagar to St John’s Church Road (7.5 km). The project never made any headway.
In 2015, the state government announced that it was planning a tunnel ring road along the periphery of Bengaluru. The corridor was supposed to begin from Tumakuru Road and pass along Doddaballapur Road, Ballari Road and Sarjapur Road before meeting Hosur Road.
The project, however, was abandoned after the feasibility report found that it was unviable.
In 2011, another proposal for road tunnels was mooted by then Bengaluru development minister R. Ashoka. The project didn’t progress beyond discussions, as the underground metro rail was planned along the same stretch.
In 2007, the Karnataka government led by HD Kumaraswamy proposed to build a 7.1-km tunnel between Minsk Square and Sankey Road, but the proposal was later scrapped.