The project will also revive plans to widen Wind Tunnel Road to decongest HAL Airport Road. | Photo credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
In addition to the planned 228 km of road network under the Sanchara Yukta project within Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits, B-SMILE has identified the possibility of expanding the network by another 90 km, which would fall under the jurisdiction of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
Under the project, the government plans to build roads along the buffer zones of storm water drains (SWDs) and lakes in the city to address rising congestion by expanding the road network.
B-SMILE has planned seven road networks under the project, including between Koramangala and Sarjapur. The project will also revive plans to widen Wind Tunnel Road to decongest HAL Airport Road. It was postponed in 2022.
Sanchar Yukta
The project will cover an extensive road network in the East City Corporation with a total length of 96.132 km. Notably, East Bengaluru currently has a low road density, between 8 km and 10 km per sq km, depending on the area. There is also a lot of congestion due to the large floating population and high concentration of workspaces.
The project will also construct 59.94 km of roads in the North City Corporation, 36.91 km in the west, 20.8 km in the south and 14.135 km in the central zone. A total of 227,917 km of roads will be constructed within the GBA limits at a cost of ₹ 199.4 crore. Work has already started on the ground to build a road from Inner Ring Road in Koramangala to Sarjapur Road.
In addition, there is a prospect of developing another 90.179 km of road network in the BDA area. According to a well-placed source in B-SMILE, this possibility has been identified in areas experiencing rapid development and population growth. These regions could also be incorporated into the GBA limits in the future.
However, the project generated considerable opposition. The Hindu has previously reported on the importance of buffer zones and their critical role in flood prevention. Experts warned that reducing the buffer zones would damage micro-ecosystems and inevitably affect the health of the lakes.
In addition, the GBA document on the project highlights that the recent announcement of the reduction of SWD buffer zones prompted the implementing agency to involve more stakeholders. As a result, B-SMILE will have to spend more on land acquisition.
Revival of road widening with a wind tunnel
As part of the project, B-SMILE will also undertake the widening of Wind Tunnel Road, albeit with a revised plan that involves realigning the road by changing its direction.
The project is expected to significantly decongest HAL Airport Road and provide an alternative route to the Outer Ring Road (ORR) for residents of central and south-east Bengaluru.
BS Prahallad, Chief Technical Officer, B-SMILE told The Hindu that since HAL has expansion plans, B-SMILE has decided to adjust the route. “This will shorten the distance and also widen the road,” he said.
“The project will be a game changer for ORR and Bellandur commuters as it becomes a viable alternative. The big advantage is that it will decongest HAL Airport Road which is gradually seeing an increase in vehicular traffic,” he added.
According to GBA sources, the BBMP demanded ownership of HAL when it was planning the Suranjandas underpass on HAL Airport Road. HAL agreed on the condition that the BBMP would widen the wind tunnel road in return. However, due to land issues, the widening project was shelved, although the Suranjandas underpass was built.
Published – 27 Dec 2025 21:05 IST
