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Bengaluru elevated corridor (Picture Courtesy Internet)
Bengaluru: Commuters using the proposed Rs 1,300-crore elevated corridor between Swami Vivekananda Metro Station on Old Madras Road and Silk Board Junction in Bengaluru may not have to pay toll, as the Detailed Project Report (DPR) has recommended an alternative funding mechanism based on property tax.
The DPR, prepared for Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), proposes an 11.625-km elevated corridor aimed at easing traffic congestion on one of the city’s busiest stretches. The corridor is planned to pass through key areas including Indiranagar, Domlur, Koramangala and Madiwala before reaching Silk Board Junction.
According to the report, toll collection was examined as one of the possible revenue options to recover the project cost. However, the DPR found that imposing tolls on commuters would not be feasible due to the fragmented nature of the alignment. The proposed corridor includes elevated sections, ramps, existing flyovers and at-grade road stretches, making toll collection operationally difficult.
Traffic studies conducted for the project also indicated that the volume of tollable traffic would not be sufficient to financially justify toll operations. Considering these factors, the report has suggested that the project should be implemented under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model without toll collection.
Instead of placing the burden on daily commuters, the DPR has proposed recovering the project cost through a property tax-based funding mechanism. The move is expected to help finance the corridor while keeping the road toll-free for users.
Once implemented, the elevated corridor is expected to provide major relief to motorists travelling between East Bengaluru and the Silk Board side, a route known for heavy traffic congestion and long travel delays.
