Bengaluru’s longest double-decker flyover comes up along Orange Line, easing traffic. Bengaluru-News News

Last updated:January 14, 2026, 11:03 IST

A smaller version of this experiment has been seen near the Silk Board on the Yellow Line to ease traffic in Bengaluru. The Orange Line is now trying to spread that success across the corridor.

The same ritual is performed every weekday at 8 am, on the Outer Ring Road. Cars are idling, buses crawl, two-wheelers sneak into places that don’t exist. Bengaluru wakes up early, but the traffic is more frustrating.

Over the years, this expansion has tested patience more than any office deadline. Now the city is trying a different trick. Instead of finding new roads, it is creating a pile of them.

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited has issued tenders to build Bengaluru’s longest double-decker flyover, which is part of the Orange Line under Namma Metro Phase 3.

The idea is bold in scale and simple in logic. A road flyover below for vehicles. An elevated metro line above for passengers. Same corridor. Two layers. A major effort to sort out the chaos.

building upwards rather than outwards

The Double Decker project targets the corridors that carry the most daily load. The main section runs from JP Nagar Phase IV to Kempapura along the western section of the Outer Ring Road, covering a distance of approximately 28.5 km.

This alone will make it Bengaluru’s longest double-decker flyover scheme to date. The second corridor follows Magadi Road from Hosahalli to Kadbagere, a short but important route to West Bengaluru.

Overall, the elevated section will span about 37 km, reduced from an earlier proposal of more than 44 km. Even after the cuts, it remains one of the city’s most ambitious transportation projects.

What does the construction look like on paper

The first round of tenders consists of 3 major parts. 6.5 km section from JP Nagar 4th phase to Kamakya Junction, with stations planned at JP Nagar 5th phase, JP Nagar, Kadirenahalli and Kamakya Junction.

Distance of 5 km to Nagarabhavi Circle, which includes Hosakarehalli, Dwaraka Nagar, Mysuru Road and Nagarabhavi Circle stations. 6.6 km package up to Sanakadakatte with Vinayak Layout, Papareddy Palya and BDA Complex Nagar stations.

More packages are expected soon for the remaining sections, turning this into a multi-year transformation of the city’s western spine.

price of breathing space

Big improvements come with big numbers. The road flyover component alone is estimated to cost around Rs 9,700 crore. The overall Phase 3 Metro project is worth over Rs 15,600 crore.

The funding divide is clear. The Center is supporting metro infrastructure. The state government is handling the cost of the flyover supported by urban local bodies and loans.

The approval has already crossed the corridors of power. The central government approved the Orange Line in August 2024. Karnataka Cabinet approved flyover integration in September 2024. After lengthy tender delays, the first construction package finally began in January 2026.

Will this help or nourish traffic?

This promise is firm on paper. Faster travel, fewer choke points. An easy journey from JP Nagar to Kempapura.

But urban planners are keeping a close eye. More road space can sometimes invite more cars rather than people transferring to public transport. The metro above may offer clean commute, but the flyover below may quietly encourage private vehicles to grow.

Bengaluru has seen a scaled-down version of this experiment near Silk Board on the Yellow Line, where the double-decker stretch has reduced congestion to a great extent. The Orange Line is now trying to spread that success across the corridor.

A long road to 2031

Construction is expected to begin soon, but it’s no quick win. The completed Phase 3 corridors are targeted for operation around 2031. This means years of wiggling, dusting and shuffling before the payoff arrives.

For travelers, one has to be patient today for the speed of tomorrow. For the city, it is a bet on vertical growth rather than endless expansion.

Signal turns green on Outer Ring Road. The queue barely moves. But somewhere above this impasse, a new layer of Bengaluru is being planned, where trains slide over traffic and roads try to breathe again.

If the Orange Line gets right, this stretch that once symbolized daily frustration could perhaps become the story of how Bengaluru learned to claw its way out of the jam, not by spreading out wider, but by becoming smarter.