Bangalore/Bengaluru set for 18km road tunnel

The southern Indian city of Bengaluru – formerly Bangalore – is to build an 18km road tunnel expected to cost around US$10 billion, according to media reports.

The tunnel – likely to be tolled - will have five entry and exit points and will connect Esteem Mall in Hebbal in north Bengaluru to the Central Silk Board Junction in the southern part of the city. Vehicle speed will be limited to between 40kph and 60kph. The tunnel will have a height of 10m.

Bengaluru is the capital of India's southern Karnataka state and a major centre for India's high-tech industry. With a population of more than 8 million and a metropolitan population of around 15 million, it is India's third most populous city and fourth most populous urban agglomeration.

An elevated highway was considered. However, that would have involved more tree felling and land acquisition as well as traffic disruption for up to four years, according to B.S. Prahalad, chief engineer of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the administrative body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructural assets of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area.