Bengaluru’s long-stalled effort to decongest its northern growth corridors has entered a decisive phase, with the Yelahanka flyover project now aligned to a clear completion window in 2026. City administrators have fixed execution milestones for the elevated road and linked surface upgrades, signalling a shift from incremental construction to delivery-focused urban management. For daily commuters and logistics operators, the project could materially alter travel reliability across one of the city’s busiest arterial routes.
The Yelahanka flyover project spans roughly two kilometres along the Doddaballapur Main Road, a corridor that connects residential clusters, defence establishments, and emerging employment hubs. According to officials overseeing the programme, close to seventy per cent of structural work is already complete. Most of the required pillars are in place, while a majority of precast segments have been launched, reflecting steady progress despite constrained working hours caused by heavy daytime traffic. Construction activity is largely limited to night shifts to minimise disruption on a road that carries high volumes of private vehicles, buses, and freight traffic. Urban planners note that while such phased execution slows timelines, it reduces economic losses from congestion and lowers safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists an increasingly important consideration as Bengaluru seeks to rebalance its streets for mixed mobility.
Beyond the flyover itself, authorities are advancing complementary upgrades intended to improve road durability and drainage. White-topping works on the Hennur–Bagalur Road, a key feeder into the Yelahanka network, are nearing completion on one carriageway, with the opposite side scheduled to follow shortly. Concrete surfacing, while carbon-intensive at the construction stage, is often favoured on high-load corridors for its longer lifecycle and reduced maintenance closures, offering indirect emissions savings over time. A critical component of the broader traffic plan is the railway underbridge at Yelahanka. One side of the underpass has been structurally completed, including the complex box-pushing operation beneath active rail lines. However, progress on the remaining side is paused due to unresolved land transfer issues involving railway property. City administrators have indicated that resolving these bottlenecks is now a priority, alongside widening approaches to ensure the underbridge does not become a new choke point.
Urban economists point out that smoother connectivity in north Bengaluru has implications beyond daily commutes. Improved travel times can enhance labour mobility, stabilise property markets, and support decentralised commercial growth, reducing pressure on the city’s already saturated core. If delivered on schedule, the Yelahanka flyover project could also serve as a template for coordinating elevated roads, surface upgrades, and rail interfaces within a single corridor plan. As Bengaluru continues to expand outward, the challenge will be ensuring that such infrastructure investments are matched with public transport integration, safe street design, and climate-resilient materials. The months ahead will test whether execution discipline can translate into lasting urban value rather than temporary congestion relief.
