The Hebbal elevated corridor will be built without completely closing Bengaluru’s Ballari Road for the 18-month construction period, the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) has clarified. Traffic will continue through controlled restrictions, phased diversions and lane management wherever construction requires changes to the existing road.
The clarification follows concerns that the road would be shut for the entire duration of the project. The BDA said 18 months is the scheduled construction period for the elevated corridor, not the period for which Ballari Road would be closed. It said alternative routes would be upgraded, including urgent repairs where necessary, before diversions are introduced in phases, in coordination with the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
BDA chairman N.A. Harris and commissioner P. Manivannan inspected the project area on Saturday along with project consultants, engineers and senior officials. They directed officials to maintain continuous coordination between construction activity, traffic regulation and road repair works to prevent congestion during implementation.
The existing Ballari Road has three lanes on each side. The BDA said construction barricades would be limited to about 4.5 metres, affecting only one lane. The remaining two lanes and the service road are expected to remain available to traffic. Cars, two-wheelers, school buses, BMTC buses and KSRTC buses will be allowed to use the corridor during construction. The movement of goods vehicles may be restricted according to traffic police guidelines.
Harris said the project had been taken up to meet the needs of Bengaluru’s growing population and improve road capacity and connectivity in the coming years. He also said the project had been planned with the proposed metro infrastructure in mind. The BDA did not provide a separate timeline in the statement for the metro-related works.
The authority discussed traffic restrictions, route diversions and measures to maintain smooth vehicle movement with joint commissioner of police for traffic Karthik Reddy. The traffic management arrangements are expected to be implemented in stages as work progresses, with the BDA saying that limiting disruption to road users would remain a priority.
The elevated corridor will run for 1.74 km from the Yeshwanthpur Area Service staff quarters to Mekhri Circle. It will have four lanes, 49 pillars and a cost estimate of ₹445.7 crore. An elevated rotary junction is planned at Mekhri Circle, with down ramps towards Yeshwanthpur through C.V. Raman Road and towards Jayamahal Road.
The BDA said the project forms part of an integrated tunnel and elevated highway system planned to ease traffic between Hebbal and Mekhri Circle. The next operational milestones are the phased traffic arrangements, alternative-route upgrades and the start of construction within the authority’s stated 18-month schedule.
