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Hebbal Tunnel Study Under Fire: Experts Question IIT-Bombay's Data and Traffic Claims
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News18•29-09-2026, 13:45
Hebbal Tunnel Study Under Fire: Experts Question IIT-Bombay's Data and Traffic Claims
- •A traffic assessment for Bengaluru's proposed Hebbal short tunnel by IIT-Bombay is facing scrutiny from transportation experts.
- •Experts raise concerns about the study's data, modeling approach, and the scenarios considered, despite the BDA citing it to support the project.
- •Prof Ashish Verma highlights discrepancies in projected traffic speeds and lack of comparative queue-length figures in the IIT-Bombay report.
- •Satyajit Arikutharam criticizes the study for not assessing four key scenarios and using outdated Passenger Car Unit values, potentially overstating two-wheeler congestion.
- •The IIT-Bombay report acknowledges the absence of an origin-destination survey, making it difficult to determine actual traffic usage of the tunnel and elevated corridor.
Key Questions Answered
Transportation experts like Prof Ashish Verma and Satyajit Arikutharam have questioned the IIT-Bombay assessment's reliance on older traffic data, modeling approaches, outdated Passenger Car Unit conversion factors, and the lack of an origin-destination survey.
The BDA commissioned the independent institutional assessment in response to strong public criticism and controversy surrounding the proposed Hebbal short tunnel project.
The Bangalore Development Authority has stated that the construction of the Hebbal short tunnel is scheduled for completion by the end of January 2028.
