Bengaluru tunnel roads: Yet another decongestion solution not grounded in reality

Can Bengaluru’s mobility solutions ever be ‘grounded’ in reality? This is the question posed in collective exasperation from multiple quarters as the Karnataka government dives straight down to an expensive Rs 50,000 crore  ‘Tunnel Roads’ concept to let motorists bypass the city’s notoriously traffic-clogged streets. The proposal comes right after a fancy, but controversial, elevated corridor network was reportedly put on the back burner. So, here’s what is in store, as envisioned by international design consulting firm AECOM India: tunnels built in two phases, the first of which will extend to 50 km at a cost of about Rs 22,000 crore. That is Rs 450 crore for every kilometre of the tunnel.

A 27-km North-South corridor will link the city’s Yelahanka with Central Silk Board on Hosur Road, tunnelling through Hebbal, Mehkri Circle, Cantonment and Kasturba Road. Another East-West corridor will dig deep to connect KR Puram and Cantonment, covering a 20-km distance.

The project did not find a mention in the 2023-24 Karnataka state budget. But a recent presentation by the consultant firm to the Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar and official statements from multiple stakeholders is a clear indication that the proposal could soon gather steam.

Steep price tag, car-focused

So, if the intent is to decongest the city’s roads, why should anyone oppose the tunnel project? The obvious counter is that at a steep price tag of an estimated Rs 50,000 crore, it would eventually end up benefiting only private vehicles, personal cars and SUVs. This money, as most mobility analysts contend, should instead be used to boost public transport buses and suburban trains that ferry lakhs of people.

“It is really a private vehicle mechanism. There are two problems with this whole idea. One, it is essentially messaging that you keep buying private cars, and we will find a way to build infrastructure to move you around,” notes urbanist V Ravichandar.

The second problem, he says, is structural. “Given the soil characteristic of the city with a lot of rocky terrain, as we have seen in boring for the Metro’s underground stretches, it would be a miracle to drill even two kilometres of the tunnel in a year. The Metro itself, over-ground and underground put together, has averaged only five kilometres per year,” he elaborates.

Frame BMLTA rules, ‘let it decide’

But sustainable mobility expert and the city’s bicycle mayor Sathya Sankaran flags another issue: the lack of an institutional setup that should decide what decongestion strategy is best for the city. “It cannot be that one politician wakes up one day and decides on the tunnel project. If the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Act has been passed for this purpose, why are the rules not being notified?” he wonders.

Tasked with regulation, operations, maintenance, monitoring and supervision of transport functions of multiple agencies, the BMLTA has a critical mandate to engage multiple stakeholders, experts and users while opting for mobility projects that actually work and benefit the larger citizenry. Sathya wants to know why due diligence is not being followed to first understand the project through a fully functional BMLTA, understand the pros and cons and look for options that give the “bang for the buck.”   

Faced with a funding crunch and a serious human resource problem, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) struggles to operate a fleet of about 6,300 buses, which is grossly inadequate to meet the mass transit needs of a city of 1.30 crore people.

Prioritise, ‘spend that money on buses

“If everyone knows that 6,000 to 10,000 more buses will give better results, why are we not doing that? It is about prioritisation. We need to look at what gives you more return on investment because this money is not free or easy. The tunnel project is going to land us in a lot of debt and it is not going to finish anytime soon,” reasons Sathya.

The Urban Development Department has proposed to first conduct a feasibility study, commission a Detailed Project Report and undertake soil tests. The government is likely to bear 40% of the project cost, while the executing agency will fund the rest. The state could end up spending about Rs 2,000 crore every year for 15 years, with toll revenue flowing to the selected agency.

For Shaheen Shasa, an active member of the bus travellers’ forum, the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, the fundamental question is whether that kind of money can reduce congestion. “The solution lies in reducing vehicles, not creating more space because that is an unending process. You keep making more space and more vehicles will occupy that space in no time,” she says.

By its very design, the tunnel road will not help BMTC buses that require multiple stops. But that is not the issue at all, reasons Shaheen. “We don’t need a tunnel road. There is no need to think about how to move buses on tunnel roads. What we need is to make space on the surface for buses, and actively look at taking more private vehicles off the roads.”

Safety, tunnel congestion concerns

Safety and congestion too, are a concern inside a tunnel. Ravichandar observes, “If you have a breakdown at any point inside the tunnel, it could just back up the vehicles. As seen in the Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway, our exposure to these infra projects are so limited that people get excited and go in and out of lanes, triggering chaos. Over 100 people have died there.”

Despite claims to get the tunnel completed in a quick time, he feels that would be tough. “Boston, for instance, tried a similar project called the Big Dig. Work went on for more than 20 years. They ran into a lot of problems in execution,” he recalls. However, AECOM maintains that technology is now so advanced that tunnels up to 300 metres can be drilled in a day with multiple tunnel boring machines (TBMs), as illustrated in Singapore and Malaysia and Mumbai’s twin tunnel project.

Sathya drives the narrative back to prioritisation. “Where are the footpaths and cycling tracks? Where is the last-mile connectivity? Where is the encouragement towards public bicycle-sharing? The government can buy all the bicycles and give them to an operator for a fraction of the tunnel cost. But there, cost suddenly becomes a major issue. It never comes up when you talk about motor vehicles!”

The way ahead, Shaheen insists, should be not to waste taxpayers’ money on the tunnel roads project. “Instead, get more buses and bus lanes. The Shakti scheme has shown how when you make it accessible and affordable for people, the demand increases. Still, many don’t have access and connectivity. Flood the city with buses, give people enough reason to shift to public transport and see how it solves the congestion problem. Try this for five years and then look for other alternatives,” she says.

An independent journalist based in Bengaluru, Rasheed Kappan has nearly three decades of experience covering issues related to urban mobility, sustainability, environment. A graphic cartoonist, podcaster, video editor, and art curator, he is the founder of Kappansky and explores the linkages of art, media, and innovation through multiple creative platforms.