5 months ago
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From the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), projected astir 20 years ago, to the city’s web of elevated corridors and junction upgrades specified arsenic Hebbal, Bengaluru’s long-stalled infrastructure projects saw immoderate question successful 2025, even if not astatine the gait of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s brainchild, the north-south passageway road.
The north-south passageway road, planned arsenic a 16.7-km, underground corridor connecting Hebbal’s Esteem Mall junction to Central Silk Board, made disposable advancement successful 2025 contempt sustained opposition. In May, the Karnataka Cabinet approved the task astatine an estimated outgo of about ₹17,780 crore under a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, and global tenders were floated successful July for 2 packages of roughly 8.7 km each, a gait of question seldom seen successful Bengaluru’s ample roadworthy projects.
By the extremity of the year, bids from aggregate large firms had been received and were nether evaluation.
The project is one of the most virulently opposed infrastructure proposals successful the metropolis today, drawing criticism from national groups, municipality planners, environmentalists, and governmental rivals. Critics raised concerns implicit its alignment with the city’s mobility plans, biology clearances, geological risks, cost escalation, and imaginable postulation redistribution, starring to protests, nationalist interest petitions, and scrutiny by bodies specified arsenic the National Green Tribunal (NGT), even arsenic the task continued to beforehand done ceremonial support stages.
Alongside this, a short tunnel-cum-elevated corridor betwixt Hebbal Junction and Mekhri Circle also moved guardant successful 2025. Spanning about 2.27 km, the task received the Cabinet support during the wintertime session at an estimated outgo of ₹2,215 crore and was being implemented by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) using its ain funds.
The program involves a three-lane duplicate passageway from Hebbal Junction to the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries University (KVAFSU), followed by an elevated corridor from the KVAFSU to Mehkri Circle.
The PRR, rebranded successful 2025 arsenic the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), also saw long-delayed steps towards execution. Early successful the year, the BDA secured in-principle approval for a ₹27,000-crore indebtedness from HUDCO to money onshore acquisition and construction. This was followed by the Cabinet clearance aboriginal successful the year for the access-controlled expressway project, which officials person projected could trim through-traffic astir the metropolis by about 40% once completed.
However, advancement connected the PRR besides remained profoundly contested. Farmers and landowners filed wide objections, submitted representations to the Governor and courts, and challenged the compensation framework, arguing that onshore was being acquired at suppressed line values and beyond halfway roadworthy requirements. Opposition groups besides urged the HUDCO to reconsider funding, citing unresolved legal, financial and operational risks.
The long-discussed elevated corridor network also edged person to execution successful 2025. Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) finalised Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 13 elevated corridors, covering a combined magnitude of about 126 km for respective cardinal stretches, including Nagavara-Bagalur, Old Madras Road-Electronic City, and Sirsi Circle-Nayandahalli.
The Cabinet besides cleared a double-decker flyover integrating Metro and roadworthy traffic during the twelvemonth successful September.
Apart from these large projects, 2025 besides saw disposable question astatine the long-clogged Hebbal junction. In August, the BDA opened a 700-metre additional ramp from the Nagawara-Baptist Hospital broadside to the K.R. Puram loop, easing postulation towards Mehkri Circle. This was followed by the opening of a 2nd caller loop connected a proceedings basis recently.
