74-Km Bangalore Peripheral Ring Road Revival: BDA Looks To Link Metro Rail To Overcome Delays

The proposed Bangalore Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), a 74-kilometer circular highway with eight lanes and six service lanes, initially envisioned in 2006, aims to create a 116 km ring road around Bengaluru, linking Hosur Road, Tumakuru Road, Bannerghatta Road, Old Madras Road, and Magadi Road. However, the project faced delays and was put on hold due to challenges with land acquisition and financial issues. To date, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) has completed 42 km of the PRR from Hosur Road to Tumakuru Road.

In an effort to revive the project, NICE Managing Director Ashok Khenny proposed in July to extend the PRR from Tumakuru Road to the international airport. Despite this proposal, progress has stalled. The BDA has also attempted to address the issue by breaking the project into three separate tenders, but no bidders have emerged after three rounds of tendering.

The project has also encountered legal disputes with farmers over land acquisition costs and procedures. Additionally, the BDA's proposal to use the Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) model was rejected by builders. Although JICA agreed to fund the road construction, it did not cover the land acquisition expenses.

BDA Chairman NA Harris said that the importance of completing the long-delayed PRR, stating, "The PRR will be completed, and all necessary steps will be taken. Both the Metro and the PRR are crucial for Bengaluru."