Hebbal Tunnel Project 2026: Route, Cost, Trees and Status

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Key takeaways

The Hebbal short tunnel is a 2.2-km, six-lane underground road that lets traffic bypass the Hebbal flyover junction, running from near Esteem Mall to the Veterinary College on Ballari Road.

It is being built by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) using the cut-and-cover method, and the detailed project report (DPR) puts its cost at ₹1,385.28 crore (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025).
Preliminary works and excavation are under way (ThePrint, 6 October 2026), while residents have protested the removal of 1,128 trees (Deccan Herald, 5 October 2026).
On 17 October the National Green Tribunal barred any tree felling for the project until the case is decided, with the next hearing on 15 December (The Hindu, 17 October 2026).

Updated 20 October 2026. We re-read the Deccan Herald, ThePrint and Citizen Matters reports listed at the end, and this article goes further than what currently ranks: it maps the entry and exit points in order, explains why four different cost figures are in circulation, separates this project from the 16.75-km tunnel road, and sets out what it means for homes in Hebbal, Sahakar Nagar and RT Nagar.

What is the Hebbal short tunnel project?

It is a short underground bypass for the Hebbal junction, where Ballari Road (the airport road) meets the Outer Ring Road. Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) commissioned the DPR from Rodic Consultants, the same firm that prepared the report for the longer Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025). The state cabinet approved it in December 2025 as part of a package with an elevated corridor at Mekhri Circle, and the BDA was tasked with executing and funding it from its internal resources (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025).

According to the BDA's project proposal, the tunnel will sit about 60 feet below the surface, with six lanes of roughly 3.5 metres each (ThePrint, 6 October 2026). The DPR chose cut-and-cover construction rather than tunnel boring machines, which means the surface is opened up to build the box and then covered again (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025).

Route map in words: entry and exit points, in order

No official route map has been published on a public portal that we could open. The points below are what B-SMILE's land notification and officials described, from the city end to the airport end.

Esteem Mall, Hebbal · entry for city-bound traffic · reported by B-SMILE officials (Deccan Herald, 8 September 2025)
Hebbal flyover junction and the tree park under it · tunnel passes below in cut-and-cover · (Deccan Herald, 5 October 2026)
Hebbal Lake buffer zone · tunnel alignment runs along it; exit next to Hebbal Lake on Ballari Road · (Deccan Herald, 8 September 2025 and 5 October 2026)
Veterinary College and UAS staff quarters · alignment passes through these campuses · (Deccan Herald, 5 October 2026)
Near the petrol bunk after Baptist Hospital · a further entry and exit point · (Deccan Herald, 8 September 2025)
Length: 2.2 km in the DPR; the cabinet note says 2.27 km (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025 and 5 December 2025)

How much will it cost? Four figures, explained

Searchers see several different numbers. They are not contradictions so much as different scopes and dates. Here is what each one covers.

₹1,140 crore · the figure in the citizens' petition coverage; the basis is not stated (Citizen Matters, 24 September 2026)
₹1,385.28 crore · the tunnel alone, as estimated in Rodic Consultants' DPR (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025; repeated by ThePrint, 6 October 2026)
₹1,490 crore · the tunnel line item in the cabinet-approved package (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025)
₹2,215 crore · the full package: the tunnel (₹1,490 crore) plus a two-lane bi-directional elevated corridor at Mekhri Circle (₹725 crore). Deccan Herald gives the corridor's length as 1.27 km in its text and 1.70 km in its project box; the BDA told ThePrint of a 1.8-km four-lane elevated corridor (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025; ThePrint, 6 October 2026)

Where things stand in October 2026

September 2025 · B-SMILE notified acquisition of eight properties covering 7,241 sq m (Deccan Herald, 8 September 2025)
November 2025 · DPR cost of ₹1,385.28 crore reported (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025)
4 December 2025 · state cabinet approves the ₹2,215-crore tunnel and elevated corridor package (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025)
February 2026 · BDA partially drains Hebbal Lake for the works (ThePrint, 6 October 2026)
28 June · foundation stone laid by the Chief Minister (ThePrint, 6 October 2026)
3 August 2026 · a Change.org petition to pause the project starts; it reached 20,000 signatures (Citizen Matters, 24 September 2026)
August 2026 · an IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab study warns of bottlenecks at the entry and exit points (Citizen Matters, 24 September 2026)
20 September 2026 · Deputy Conservator of Forests notice invites objections to removing 1,128 trees (Citizen Matters, 24 September 2026)
4 October 2026 · residents form human chains and seek public consultation and the environmental impact assessment (Deccan Herald, 5 October 2026)
October 2026 · preliminary works and excavation under way; BDA has commissioned an IIT-Bombay feasibility and impact study (ThePrint, 6 October 2026)
17 October 2026 · the National Green Tribunal restrains any tree felling for the project until the case is disposed of; next hearing 15 December (The Hindu, 17 October 2026)
20 October 2026 · the Greater Bengaluru Authority has received more than 1,500 objections to the tree felling (The Hindu, 20 October 2026)

How many trees will be cut?

The forest notice covers 1,128 trees. Of these, 56 are proposed to be felled and 1,072 transplanted, subject to Tree Committee approval (ThePrint, 6 October 2026). Residents say more than 70 species are at risk, including heritage banyans, and that the work passes through the tree park under the flyover and the lake buffer (Deccan Herald, 5 October 2026). The tunnel is also expected to take over about 3.5 acres of Hebbal Lake (ThePrint, 6 October 2026).

Is it the same as the Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel road?

No. The 16.75-km north–south tunnel road between Hebbal and Silk Board is a separate, much larger project. The state's Urban Development Department said the short tunnel would particularly help residents of Sanjaynagar, RT Nagar, Ganganagar and Ashwathnagar, because two-wheelers and autorickshaws will not be allowed in the longer tunnel (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025). Our status report on the long tunnel is here: Bangalore Tunnel Road Project Status 2026: Route, Toll, Date

Toll, contractor and who decides

Toll: officials said the short tunnel will not be tolled (Deccan Herald, 8 September 2025).
Executing agency: the BDA, funding the work from internal resources (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025).
DPR consultant: Rodic Consultants, for B-SMILE (Deccan Herald, 11 November 2025).
Contractor: none of the pages we opened names the construction contractor, so we do not name one.

The case for it, and the concerns

The government's case: widening the surface road was blocked because the veterinary university would not part with land, so a tunnel was chosen; consultancy Arcadis reportedly estimated a 40% cut in congestion; and the elevated corridor is meant to form a rotary-like interchange at Mekhri Circle (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025). The BDA says the tunnel and corridor are 'functionally connected' and should be judged together (ThePrint, 6 October 2026).

The concerns: the state Finance Department had queried the cost and the risk of new bottlenecks before the cabinet nod (Deccan Herald, 5 December 2025). The IISc study expects bottlenecks at entry and exit points (Citizen Matters, 24 September 2026). Experts quoted by Deccan Herald in September 2025 also flagged that the work could affect the planned underground Sarjapur–Hebbal metro line (the Red Line).

What it means for homes near the line

The localities that feel this project most are Hebbal, Sahakar Nagar, Kodigehalli, RT Nagar, Sanjaynagar and Ganganagar. For anyone living within a kilometre or two of the junction, expect a construction phase with cut-and-cover excavation, diversions and dust around the flyover, the lake edge and the Veterinary College stretch. No completion date has been published in the reports we read, so plan for that disruption without a fixed end point.

The intended long-run benefit is quicker movement through the junction for cars heading between the city and the airport road. Whether it delivers depends on the entry and exit points, which is exactly what the IISc study questions. We make no prediction on prices either way. If you are buying here, ask the seller or developer which approach roads your daily drive uses and how they will be affected during works.

Lt Elara Celestia Hebbal Raintree Boulevard · L&T Elara Celestia, L&T Realty, Hebbal Raintree Boulevard; under construction.
Brigade Laguna Hebbal · Brigade Laguna, Brigade Group, Hebbal; nearing possession.
Hiranandani Glen Gate Hebbal · Hiranandani Glen Gate, House of Hiranandani, Hebbal; ready to move.
Prestige Fairfield Hebbal · Prestige Fairfield, Prestige Group, Hebbal; ready to move.

Questions, answered

Where does the Hebbal tunnel start and end?

It runs about 2.2 km from near Esteem Mall at the Hebbal junction to the Veterinary College on Ballari Road, with an exit next to Hebbal Lake and another entry and exit near the petrol bunk after Baptist Hospital (Deccan Herald).

What is the Hebbal tunnel project cost?

The DPR puts the tunnel at ₹1,385.28 crore. The cabinet-approved package is ₹2,215 crore, of which ₹1,490 crore is the tunnel and ₹725 crore an elevated corridor at Mekhri Circle (Deccan Herald).

Is the Hebbal short tunnel the same as the Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel road?

No. The short tunnel is a 2.2-km bypass of the Hebbal junction. The 16.75-km tunnel road to Silk Board is a separate project, which will not allow two-wheelers or autorickshaws.

Will the Hebbal short tunnel be tolled?

Officials told Deccan Herald in September 2025 that it will not be tolled.

How many trees will be cut for the Hebbal tunnel?

The forest notice covers 1,128 trees: 56 proposed for felling and 1,072 for transplanting, subject to Tree Committee approval (ThePrint, 6 October 2026).

Has construction of the Hebbal tunnel started?

Yes. ThePrint reported on 6 October 2026 that preliminary works and excavation were under way after the foundation stone was laid on 28 June. No completion date has been published.

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