Bengaluru
oi-Madhuri Adnal
Bengaluru commuters travelling through the city’s already congested Outer Ring Road (ORR) corridor may soon face even worse traffic as the busy Silk Board-KR Pura stretch is set to be dug up under a massive Rs 378-crore concretisation project. The 17.1-km IT corridor, used daily by nearly eight lakh commuters and lined with hundreds of tech parks and residential zones, is expected to witness lane closures, diversions and major congestion for months once reconstruction work begins.
Bengaluru’s 17.1-km Silk Board-KR Pura Outer Ring Road is undergoing a Rs 378-crore concretisation project to improve durability and traffic flow, potentially causing major disruptions for months. The two-stretch project is aimed for completion within approximately nine months.
The project aims to fully concrete the main carriageway between Silk Board and KR Pura with a 190mm-thick concrete surface designed for long-term durability and reduced maintenance. However, the scale of the work has raised concerns among office-goers and residents who already struggle with heavy traffic across the ORR belt during peak hours.
The ORR tech corridor project has been divided into two stretches. The first section covers the 5.4-km stretch between Silk Board and Iblur, while the second spans 11.6 km from Iblur to KR Pura. Together, the redevelopment will transform the full 17.1-km corridor that connects several major IT hubs including Bellandur, Marathahalli and Mahadevapura.
Officials said reconstruction of the main carriageway and upgrades at six major junctions account for nearly Rs 108 crore of the total project cost. Though the official deadline for completion is one year, civic authorities are reportedly trying to finish the work within around nine months to reduce disruption for commuters.
To manage Bengaluru traffic during the construction phase, authorities plan to first strengthen and improve the service roads before diverting vehicles away from the main carriageway. The service road work will include drainage upgrades, underground utility repairs, widened footpaths and strengthening of side roads to handle diverted traffic.
The broader redevelopment package also includes improved street lighting, drainage systems, cycle tracks and dedicated utility ducts aimed at organising underground cables and pipelines more efficiently along the corridor.
Officials associated with the project said the tendering process has reached its final stage, with financial bids currently under evaluation before contracts are officially awarded.
Once completed, authorities say the concretised ORR corridor will offer smoother roads, lower maintenance needs and better long-term traffic movement across Bengaluru’s busiest IT belt. Until then, however, lakhs of commuters travelling between Silk Board and KR Pura may have to brace for one of the city’s biggest traffic disruptions in recent years.
