In a primary of its institutional criticism of the formidable north-south tunnel highway venture connecting Hebbal and Silkboard junction, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) has flagged a number of discrepancies within the venture.
Based on the BMLTA assessment of the feasibility report of the tunnel highway venture, accessed by The Indian Specific, the transport planning physique has acknowledged that the proposed venture doesn’t align with the targets and targets of the authorised Complete Mobility Plan (CMP) for Bengaluru.
Additional, it acknowledged that the venture doesn’t align with both Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)’s Local weather Motion Plan or Nationwide City Transport Coverage (NUTP). Actually, regardless of a number of discrepancies, Bengaluru Sensible Infrastructure Restricted, which is executing the tunnel highway venture, has gone forward with international tenders for the venture.
BBMP submitted the feasibility examine report of the proposed north-south hall in July 2024 for assessment and approval by BMLTA. The Directorate of City and Land Transport, which serves because the secretariat to BMLTA, carried out a technical assessment of the proposal, following which 14 technical observations/feedback had been documented for consideration of BBMP.
Based on CMP, it targets a 70 per cent public transport share by 2035; nevertheless, tunnel roads encourage car-based commuting, the assessment famous.
BMLTA famous that BBMP has no prior expertise within the state to implement such a big (14.5-metre twin tube) deep tunnel. As an alternative, BMLTA recommends different short-length strategic alignments the place such tunnels might play a essential function in bettering connectivity of present highway networks.
It additionally advisable a signal-free connectivity of Outer Ring Street (ORR) at Goraguntepalya junction, signal-free connectivity of ORR between Okay R Puram and Benniganahalli (to decongest Outdated Madras Street from Tin Manufacturing facility to KR Puram) and signal-free connectivity of ORR between Central Silk Board and J D Mara junctions.
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BMLTA additional advisable contemplating tunnel configurations for the proposed Peripheral Ring Street (PRR). “Provided that the event density alongside the PRR is comparatively low, developing tunnels right here might pose fewer technical challenges. It may additionally doubtlessly cut back land acquisition prices and open up avenues for personal funding, particularly because the PRR is already being deliberate as a toll-based highway,” the company acknowledged.
Lack of scientific evaluation
One of many main criticisms is the absence of a scientific journey demand evaluation. The company famous that BBMP didn’t conduct origin-destination (O-D) surveys, that are important for understanding journey patterns and estimating what number of commuters would use the tunnel. BBMP’s declare that O-D surveys are solely related in early-stage transport planning was contested by BMLTA, which famous {that a} feasibility examine itself is an early-stage train.
“With out O-D knowledge, site visitors shift estimations are speculative, impacting assessments of segment-wise demand, entry/exit level areas, and potential site visitors diversion from different tasks like metro or suburban rail,” the company famous.
Additional, the venture lacks a scientific analysis of its influence on surface-level roads and junctions, the company mentioned. The feasibility examine omitted turning motion counts (TMCs) and junction-level simulations, failing to evaluate whether or not roads and junctions at proposed entry/exit ramps can deal with diverted site visitors.
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“This oversight dangers exacerbating surface-level congestion at tunnel entry factors, doubtlessly undermining the venture’s aim of lowering site visitors bottlenecks,” BMLTA noticed.
BMLTA additionally identified that the examine ignores interactions with different main infrastructure tasks, equivalent to Metro phases 2A, 2B, 3, and 3A, suburban rail corridors, and the Transit-Oriented Growth (TOD) coverage. Based on BMLTA, by not accounting for these parallel programs, that are designed to deal with comparable commuter calls for, the tunnel’s demand forecasts are doubtless overestimated, resulting in flawed planning assumptions.
BMLTA additionally criticised the venture’s reliance on flawed site visitors knowledge and evaluation. Reported common day by day site visitors volumes between Hebbal and Mekhri Circle (1,500 to three,500 passenger automobile items) had been flagged by BMLTA as unrealistically low, with camera-based counts missing readability on particular roads and instructions.
“The rudimentary forecasting methodology dangers overestimating the tunnel’s utility, rendering monetary calculations and congestion-relief claims unreliable,” it famous.
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Compounding these points, BBMP’s examine uncared for geological and seismic dangers, offering no particulars on tunnel depth, seismic danger evaluation, or Bengaluru’s geological vulnerabilities, regardless of town being in Seismic Zone II with reported energetic fault strains in Southern Karnataka, BMLTA mentioned.
Environmental and hydrogeological considerations had been equally missed, with no Environmental Influence Evaluation (EIA) carried out regardless of the tunnel’s proximity to Rajakaluves and lakes like Hebbal Lake, BMLTA famous.
Moreover, the venture underestimates land acquisition wants for entry/exit ramps, air flow shafts, and impacted buildings, equivalent to these close to Silk Board, with no related value estimates, resulting in an incomplete monetary evaluation, as per BMLTA.
BBMP’s value estimates exclude essential parts like land acquisition, ecological mitigation, Clever Transport Programs (ITS), and floor site visitors administration, whereas the monetary mannequin fails to evaluate real looking toll income underneath diminished demand situations, it mentioned.
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BMLTA additionally highlighted conflicts with Metro infrastructure, with BBMP figuring out solely three tunnel-metro battle factors in comparison with the company’s identification of 11, together with six with present or proposed Metro strains and 5 at ramp areas.
Satya Arikutharam, an city mobility skilled, mentioned, “I’m not in any respect shocked by the BMLTA assessment feedback. That is precisely what town has been attempting to say to the Authorities for the previous one 12 months. I hope BMLTA’s sound recommendation is taken critically, and the federal government abandons the unscientific car-only tunnel. Strengthening public transport is the one confirmed method ahead for Bengaluru.