Tunnel Road race heats up: Adani vs Tata in fray for Bengaluru’s Rs 17,698 cr mega project

Top infrastructure giants like Adani and Tata have expressed interest in Bengaluru’s contentious 16.75 km tunnel road project between Hebbal and Silk Board, making it a high-stakes urban venture.

Bengaluru’s ambitious and highly debated tunnel road project is gaining momentum, as top national infrastructure players step forward to bid for its construction. The proposed 16.75 km underground stretch from Esteem Mall, Hebbal to Silk Board is estimated to cost Rs 17,698 crore and will be built in two phases, Esteem Mall to Sheshadripuram and Sheshadripuram to Silk Board.

Despite sharp public criticism over toll costs, traffic impact, and exclusion of public transport, the government, especially Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, has remained firm on pushing the project forward. The recent pre-bid meeting held at the B-SMILE office in Vasanthnagar saw participation from 10 major infrastructure firms, including Adani Group and Tata Projects, sparking a high-stakes showdown.

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Other interested firms include L&T, Megha Engineering, Jayashankar Constructions, Seagle India Ltd, Vish Samudra Engineering Ltd, ITD Cementation, IRB Infrastructure, and Afcons Infrastructure. The company that wins the bid must invest 60% of the cost (around Rs 10,000 crore), while BBMP will cover the remaining. The winning firm must deposit Rs 40 crore and will be granted rights to collect tolls for 30 years.

This pre-bid response has raised expectations, even as the tunnel project remains under scrutiny for its feasibility and public benefit.

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