Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who is in charge of Bengaluru development, has proposed to build an underground tunnel network in the city in a bid to ease its ongoing traffic issues. The tunnel highway network, inspired by Singapore's tunnels, will be a 99-kilometre-long project, consisting of three main corridors, according to a report by Times Now.
If completed, this will also be one of the world's longest tunnel networks. The Karnataka government decided on the project after receiving inputs from several industry leaders at the “Brand Bengaluru” meeting held last month. DK Shivakumar, along with other leaders, had earlier also planned to visit Singapore to inspect it's tunnel networks. The Siddaramaiah-led leadership in the southern state will spend around ₹22,000 crore to construct Phase 1 of the project, and ₹450 crore to tunnel each kilometre, according to initial estimates.
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The first corridor will be in the north - south direction, while the other two main corridors will be from east to west. The project will also have three other connecting corridors. It is due to undergo a feasibility study soon, after which the government will address concerns surrounding the land acquisition process.
While the initiative is being backed by several industry leaders, experts pointed out that the development of public transport and mass transit systems in the city is a more sustainable solution to end traffic congestions. Sandeep Anirudhan, a civic activist and the convenor for two groups - “Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru” and “Bengaluru Mobility” - said the DCM should visit Singapore, not to inspect its tunnels, but to study its mass transit system.
{{/usCountry}}While the initiative is being backed by several industry leaders, experts pointed out that the development of public transport and mass transit systems in the city is a more sustainable solution to end traffic congestions. Sandeep Anirudhan, a civic activist and the convenor for two groups - “Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru” and “Bengaluru Mobility” - said the DCM should visit Singapore, not to inspect its tunnels, but to study its mass transit system.
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“Singapore does not have any tunnel based road network. A few odd tunnels (underpasses) and bridges were built in previous decades. In fact, Singapore did propose an underground road system in the 80's, which it thankfully scrapped in 2017,” he said in a statement.
“The Singapore Land Transport Authority instead chose to focus on enhancing the Metro network, which is now the main mode of transport, transporting 25 to 35 lakh passengers per day. That is seven times more passengers than our (Bengaluru) metro, even though the population of Singapore has only one third our population,” he added.
Anirudhan also pointed to other cities including Tokyo and Amsterdam, hailing their mass transit systems.