Bengaluru clears ₹2,215-cr Hebbal-Mehkri Circle tunnel-elevated corridor to tackle traffic

New short tunnel and elevated link approved; design changes expected for the larger Hebbal–Silk Board twin tunnel project.

In a major push to ease traffic on the busy Ballari Road stretch, the Karnataka Cabinet has approved a ₹2,215 crore tunnel-elevated corridor between Hebbal Junction and Mehkri Circle. The project, which will be executed and funded by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), is expected to significantly improve movement for two-wheelers and autorickshaws, vehicles that would otherwise be unable to use the longer Hebbal-Silk Board twin tunnel currently under tender.

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The new corridor will consist of a 2.27 km three-lane twin tunnel starting from Hebbal Junction and extending to the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU). From there, an elevated corridor will connect KVAFSU to Mehkri Circle, addressing local traffic bottlenecks around Ganganagar, Sanjay Nagar and R.T. Nagar.

Urban Development Department officials confirmed that Mehkri Circle will be transformed into a major rotary interchange, with multiple flyovers converging at the junction. The tunnel-elevated link from KVAFSU will be one among several proposed structures feeding into the revamped circle.

Because of this new alignment, the entry and exit ramp locations of the planned Hebbal-Silk Board twin tunnel are expected to shift, requiring design modifications.
Earlier, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd. (B-SMILE) had proposed only a tunnel at a cost of ₹1,325 crore. The addition of the elevated corridor and interchange has increased the overall estimate to ₹2,215 crore.

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The move also marks a renewed attempt to resolve congestion on Ballari Road after the earlier steel flyover proposal, floated by the previous Congress government, was cancelled following widespread public resistance.

Officials said the short tunnel project was strongly recommended by Bengaluru Traffic Police, who argued that a long tunnel excluding two-wheelers and autos would not ease congestion in key residential pockets. The new corridor, they said, is designed precisely to address the needs of local commuters.