Bengaluru’s Rs 42,000-Cr Tunnel Road Project Gains Momentum

The Karnataka government is gearing up to float tenders for Bengaluru’s massive underground tunnel road project, with a proposed investment of ₹42,000 crore. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday confirmed the state’s commitment to move forward, saying land acquisition is now the primary hurdle.

“We have to start the tunnel road project. We’ve submitted a land request to the military and are negotiating with private owners and the metro authorities,” said Shivakumar, who also handles the Bengaluru Development and Town Planning portfolios.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has budgeted ₹42,000 crore for the project, including ₹17,780 crore for a tunnel segment along National Highway 7 from Hebbal to Hosur Road through the choked Silk Board Junction. This is one of the most important bottlenecks in Bengaluru’s tech corridor.

At the core of the plan lies a 60-kilometre-long urban tunnel connecting East-West and North-South corridors. The network below ground is proposed to alleviate surface traffic, maintain urban attractiveness, and free up public areas by diverting vehicles underground.

A detailed project report (DPR) is currently in preparation, with the state offering a financial guarantee of ₹19,000 crore to support the initiative. The tunnel is expected to link NH-7 with NH-14, and the state has proposed a joint implementation with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Shivakumar has also written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urging central budgetary assistance for the state government and NHAI in the coming Union Budget.

On another note, visiting Mandya and Ramanagara districts, Deputy CM raised the issue of the need for drinking water supply in Channarayapatna, expressing that the long-pending project would be re-evaluated.

When asked about opposition leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments on Lord Ram, Shivakumar declined to comment, saying he had not seen the statement and would respond only after reviewing it.