Bengaluru tunnel road between Hebbal and Silk Board to be toll-based, says DK Shivakumar

Commuters using the new tunnel road from Hebbal to Central Silk Board in Bengaluru will pay a toll, confirmed Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Commuters using the proposed tunnel road between Hebbal and Central Silk Board in Bengaluru will have to pay a toll, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar confirmed on Wednesday, stating that the project would not be feasible without it.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. (PTI)

What DK Shivakumar said?

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Shivakumar, who also handles the Bengaluru development portfolio, said the tunnel project—seen as a game-changer for easing the city’s notorious north-south traffic congestion—can only take off under a toll-based model. “It is not possible to construct a tunnel road without a toll,” he said, pointing out that similar infrastructure in other metro cities also involves user charges.

“If people value their time, they will pay for it. Many already pay tolls on the airport road, the NICE Road, and the Bengaluru–Mysuru expressway. This is no different,” he added.

According to multiple reports, the Karnataka Cabinet approved two tunnel corridors under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. The project will be handed over to private companies, who will build and operate the tunnel, recover their costs through toll collection, and eventually transfer it back to the government after 30 years.

Officials say the tender process is underway, and the government plans to invite global bids. “We’ll issue the notification in the next couple of days,” Shivakumar said.

The proposed tunnel will cover a key stretch connecting Hebbal in the north to Silk Board Junction in the south, cutting through one of the busiest and most gridlocked routes in the city. Authorities believe it could drastically reduce travel time for thousands of daily commuters who currently spend hours stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Outer Ring Road and connecting arterial routes.

While many are hopeful that the project will bring relief, the announcement has sparked some debate on whether toll roads within city limits are justified. However, urban mobility experts say large-scale infrastructure projects in densely populated cities often depend on public-private partnerships and user-pay models, especially when land acquisition and construction costs run high.