Latest news with #BSPrahalad
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bengaluru civic agency to float Rs 17.7k-cr global tender for tunnel roads soon
Bengaluru: BBMP is set to invite global tenders in the coming weeks for construction of the 16.745-km-long six-lane twin underground tunnel road connecting Hebbal's Esteem Mall junction to Silk Board junction, a project it says will be a major push to decongest the city's arterial roads. With an estimated cost of Rs 17,780 crore, the project aims to transform urban mobility by carving out a subterranean North-South corridor through some of Bengaluru's most-congested stretches. The project, already approved by the cabinet, will be executed in two packages: Package 1 will cover the more than 8.7-km stretch from Esteem Mall to Seshadri Road, while Package 2 will extend another 8.7-km from Seshadri Road to Silk Board junction. Together, the twin tunnels will span a combined length of nearly 33.5km. "Tunnelling work will be carried out using eight tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and is expected to take 26 months. Civil and associated works will require an additional 12 months," said BS Prahalad, director (technical), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) established recently by the govt. "Each TBM can bore up to 2km per year. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Given the challenges of land acquisition in Bengaluru, underground tunnelling has emerged as the most-feasible option," Prahalad added. The detailed project report (DPR) for the tunnel roads was prepared by Rodic Consultants Pvt Ltd and approved by the govt. The tunnel road will be open to four-wheelers while a restriction on two-wheelers is under active consideration to ensure safety and operational efficiency. A toll of Rs 19 per/km has been proposed for 2029-30 period. This estimate draws comparisons with Mumbai's Trans Harbour Link, where toll charges are Rs 250 for a 22-km stretch. The twin tunnels will be developed under build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. BBMP will contribute 40% of the cost as viability gap funding (VGF). The selected concessionaire will be granted toll-collection rights for a 30-year period following project completion. According to Prahalad, tender preparations are in their final stages. "The three-lane twin-tube tunnel is expected to bring significant relief to commuters. We are moving quickly towards inviting global tenders," he said.
New Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
For tunnel road tech, BBMP engineers visit Vizag, set to land in Kashmir next
BENGALURU: A team from the engineers' wing of BBMP has started visiting other Indian cities where tunnel road projects are being executed. This is to assess and adopt the best practices to execute the first phase of the 18-km-long tunnel road in Bengaluru. The cabinet on June 5, 2025 approved the construction of the north-south tunnel road corridor under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge minister DK Shivakumar has been insisting on the project, claiming that it will decongest the city. The first phase will be taken up at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore. The team recently visited Visakhapatnam to study the New Australian Tunnelling Method (NATM) that is being used by the NHAI to build the 464-km tunnel road reaching Raipur. The BBMP team is going next to Kashmir to understand the tunnel projects there. 'We went to Vizag to understand NATM, the land required and the time it takes as compared to other regular methods. The existing technology used by BMRCL cannot be adopted for the road project as the diameter of the tunnel boring machine for the Metro rail project is 5.6 metre, while the road project requires at least 14.6 metre,' BBMP Chief Engineer BS Prahalad told TNIE. Understanding different models is essential when executing the project in Bengaluru, where land acquisition and cost is a concern, he said. 'We need to understand each of the tunnelling methods before coming to a conclusion. So far nothing has been finalised,' he added. The visits and the preparatory work is going on at a time when citizens and experts have demanded that the project be dropped and the public transport system be strengthened. They pointed out that what is being done in other cities cannot be replicated here without a thorough analysis. BBMP sources said that instead of studying the technology, the engineering team should look at the feasibility and requirements of other cities and compare them to Bengaluru. But that is not being done, they added. Prof Ashish Verma, a mobility expert from IISc, said, 'Studies and various models prepared by us have shown that public transport is better when compared to the tunnel road. It is not a feasible project in the long run.'
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bengaluru's chief engineer moved to new agency
Bengaluru: With an aim to revamp urban infrastructure management, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineer-in-chief BS Prahalad has been transferred to the newly formed Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) as its director (technical). The move comes as part of the govt's decision to implement high-impact urban projects through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with an enhanced annual budget of Rs 7,000 crore. Prahalad had been entrusted with the task of improving the condition of roads and storm water drains, two areas where the BBMP had come under fire from Bengalureans, before he was put in-charge of the city's big ticket projects mooted by DCM DK Shivakumar and will be executed under B-SMILE. The transition, formalised through govt order dated May 23 also involves a reorganisation of the BBMP's engineering divisions. Prahalad's former role was dissolved, with structural works merged under the chief engineer (health and sanitation) and road development functions handed over to the chief engineer (road infrastructure). The restructured model aims to streamline operations and avoid overlapping mandates as the city gears up for a new governance framework under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024.
