Outer Ring Road needs a master mobility plan: 5 fixes that can end Bengaluru’s tech corridor gridlock

The Silk Board–KR Pura stretch, Bengaluru’s busiest commute route, demands an integrated approach, road repairs, Metro completion, bus bays, service roads, and pedestrian safety.

Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), the economic spine of the city’s IT industry, is facing a mobility crisis that threatens productivity and quality of life for lakhs of commuters. The Silk Board–KR Pura stretch, which sees one of the highest traffic volumes in India, needs more than quick fixes. It needs a master mobility plan that ties together road infrastructure, public transport, and pedestrian safety.

A comprehensive repair of sub-arterial roads is the starting point. Residential layouts feeding into ORR are riddled with potholes and narrow lanes, leaving two-wheeler users with no option but to switch to cars, adding to traffic density.

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The completion of Metro’s Blue Line (Phase 2A and 2B) is seen as the ultimate game-changer. When operational, it will shift thousands of private vehicles off ORR. But with openings pushed to 2026–2027, interim measures are critical.

Dedicated bus bays and last-mile connectivity could deliver immediate relief. Today, buses stop on the main carriageway, choking lanes and causing bottlenecks. Reintroducing ORR’s earlier successful bus-priority lanes, once Metro construction is done, could restore traffic flow efficiency.

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Service road upgrades are another vital link. Poor asphalting and waterlogging reduce them to craters within months, slowing both feeder buses and private vehicles.

Finally, safe and continuous pedestrian pathways are non-negotiable. Broken or missing footpaths and lack of skywalks at junctions like Iblur put pedestrians at risk and discourage public transport usage.

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Without integrating these five solutions into a single, coordinated mobility plan, the ORR corridor risks becoming unmanageable, impacting not just commuters but Bengaluru’s standing as India’s tech capital.