BENGALURU: The long-stalled 74-km Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, pending for nearly two decades, is finally moving forward with a new identity and a fresh set of features. Rebranded as the ‘Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC)’, the project will comprise an 8-lane expressway.
BBC Chairman LK Atheeq announced that the total Right of Way (ROW) proposed is 65 metres, of which 41 metres will be taken up by the 8-lane expressway with a 5-metre median reserved for a future Metro corridor. On either side, there will be two service roads of 9 metres each (designed as two lanes-plus-one lane for cycling), along with 3-metre pavements.
Highlighting the land acquisition hurdles, which delayed the project for years, Atheeq stated that it would now be addressed with five options for landowners. The five options include cash compensation, Transferable Development Rights (TDR), enhanced Floor Area Ratio (FAR), developed land in residential layouts, or commercial land along the corridor. Special Land Acquisition Officers (SLAOs) have been directed to collect landowners’ preferences and finalise awards.
The alignment begins in the west at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road (NH-4), travels through Ballari Road beyond Yelahanka, and then connects to Old Madras Road and Electronics City, to finally join the NICE Road at Hosur Road junction, integrating both northwest and northeast Bengaluru into the growth corridor.
Each side of the expressway will include a 9-metre service road with a 1-metre pavement, cycle track, and utility ducts, enhancing last-mile connectivity. The BBC will also integrate seamlessly with NICE Road at Electronics City and Madavara (BIEC), with a spur road planned towards Major Arterial Road (MAR) for potential integration with PRR-2.
The proposals and changes made with the project are awaiting the state government’s final approval. Once cleared, the project that was long seen as critical to easing Bengaluru’s traffic gridlock will finally take off after decades of uncertainty.