The long-pending 288 km-long Bengaluru Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR, NH 948A), designed to tackle traffic congestion in the silicon city, finally seems to be creaking towards closure.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for executing the Rs 17,000-crore corridor, told Moneycontrol that the project will be completed by December 2025. Initially proposed in 2005, the project gained momentum after it was incorporated into the Centre's Bharatmala Pariyojana in 2017. In June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the STRR, which is being executed under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).
About 85 percent of the road — 243 km — runs through Karnataka, and the remaining 45 km passes through Tamil Nadu. The four-six-lane, access-controlled expressway will link 12 satellite towns in Karnataka: Dobbaspet, Doddaballapur, Devanahalli, Sulibele, Hoskote, Sarjapur, Attibele, Anekal, Tattekere, Kanakapura, Ramanagara, Hosur, and Magadi. An access-controlled expressway has limited and designated entry and exit points to ensure rapid movement.
According to NHAI officials, the project's construction is divided into nine sections, and work is already underway in four. The contracts for the rest are expected to be awarded by December 2023. The first 80 km section is expected to be inaugurated by December 2023.
Vivek Jaiswal, Regional Officer, NHAI, told Moneycontrol, "The first section includes two stretches: the six-lane Doddaballapur-Hoskote bypass (38 km) and the four-lane Dobbaspet-Doddaballapur bypass (42 km) are nearing completion. We are planning to inaugurate both by the end of this year."
"Once operational, STRR will facilitate the movement of commercial vehicles without entering the core city areas of Bengaluru, serving as a bypass route for goods traffic," added Jaiswal.
"Completion of the Dobbaspet-Devanahalli-Hoskote section by December 2023 is expected to reduce congestion at Hebbal by 20-25 percent. Trucks bound for places like Kolar and Nelamangala / Hassan could utilise the STRR," explained Jaiswal.
While the toll charges for the STRR are yet to be finalised, NHAI officials estimate it to be around Rs 1.98 per km.
NHAI officials said that since the STRR will connect major satellite towns around Bengaluru, it will encourage private firms to operate in these areas, reducing the pressure on Bengaluru. "The availability of land parcels along the STRR route will get private firms to establish offices, tech parks, and further fuel real estate growth," said an NHAI official.
The STRR will also provide crucial connectivity to the proposed multi-modal logistics park at Dobbaspet, and the upcoming Bengaluru-Pune greenfield expressway. Further, it will improve connectivity with Chennai Port and Krishnapatnam Port (in Andhra Pradesh). Greenfield expressways avoid inhabited areas to bring development to new regions and reduce land acquisition costs and construction timelines.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has also proposed building double-decker roads on the STRR. He further suggested that the state government establish satellite towns along the road to address Bengaluru's traffic woes.
The Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) and the STRR are two major projects aimed at easing traffic congestion on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR). The 74-km PRR, proposed by BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) in 2007 to address congestion on the outskirts of the city, is supposed to be an eight-lane, access-controlled expressway linking Tumakuru Road and Hosur Road via Hesaraghatta Road, Doddaballapur Road, Ballari Road, Hennur Road, Old Madras Road, Hoskote Road, and Sarjapur. However, the project is yet to see the light of day.
Bengaluru-Mysuru travel time set to reduce
NHAI officials said the STRR is expected to reduce travel time between Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru and places such as Mysuru and Kodagu, as the new route will bypass congested city roads.
Archana Kumar, Project Director, NHAI, told Moneycontrol: "The distance covered via STRR from Bengaluru airport to Mysuru may be longer, but the travel time will be reduced from four hours to two. From Bengaluru airport, one has the option to take the STRR via Dobbaspet or Ramanagara, and then take the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway to reach Mysuru. Similarly, the travel time from Bengaluru to Coorg is expected to be reduced from seven hours to four," she said.
"The STRR will divert commercial vehicles away from the city's arterial road roads and the ORR, which are currently struggling to cope with the traffic. The STRR, which will be located around a 50-km radius from the city centre, will offer a viable route for commercial vehicles," said Kumar.
According to the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Bengaluru prepared by the state government, the highest number of goods vehicles — 29 percent — enter the city through NH 4 (Tumakuru Road). “The percentage of trucks / multi-axle vehicles varies from 6-29 percent across locations,’’ it said.
“Perishables comprise the largest chunk of goods transported to and from Bengaluru, followed by industrial and manufactured goods, and tankers. The maximum number of industrial goods are carried on Tumakuru Road, followed by Kanakapura Road and Hosur Road. Maximum perishables (foodgrains, vegetables, fruits, etc.) are carried on Old Madras Road and Mysuru Road," the report adds.
B Channa Reddy, president of the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners Association, said that the STRR and PRR will support efficient freight movement. "At present, high-volume freight and truck movement is restricted to the night time or off-peak hours in Bengaluru. By routing freight not intended for the city through the STRR and PRR, the strain on truck drivers will be reduced, and logistics and fuel costs will decrease", he said.
NHAI seeks support to overcome hurdles
Jaiswal said that the state government's assistance is crucial for the project as 30 percent of the land acquisition cost needs to be borne by the government. "Timely release of the allocated funds for land acquisition is essential to avoid delays and keep the project on track," he said.
"The project is facing land acquisition issues and protests from residents in certain sections. We are experiencing delays in obtaining permissions from the railways, particularly in areas like Ramanagara. The state wildlife board's approval for work in Bannerghatta is still pending. All this is slowing down the project," he said.
Jaiswal also highlighted the need for specific exemptions from the state government to facilitate the project's smooth execution. "These include waiving the royalty on sand and stone, and also waiving the state GST on steel and cement, which would ease the financial burden on the project," he said.
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