Bengaluru’s Longest Double-Decker Flyover Comes With Orange Line, Easing Traffic

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

Bengaluru has seen smaller version of this experiment near Silk Board on Yellow Line easing traffic. The Orange Line is now trying to scale that success across an entire corridor.

On paper, the promise is irresistible. Faster travel, fewer choke points. A smoother ride from JP Nagar to Kempapura. Image: AI generated

Every weekday at 8 am, the Outer Ring Road performs the same ritual. Cars idle, buses crawl, two wheelers squeeze into spaces that do not exist. Bengaluru wakes up early, but traffic wakes up angrier.

For years, this stretch has tested patience more than any office deadline ever could. Now, the city is trying a different trick. Instead of finding new roads, it is stacking them.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has floated tenders for what will become Bengaluru’s longest double decker flyover, 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 commuters. Same corridor. Two layers. One big attempt to untangle chaos.

Building upwards instead of outwards

The double decker project targets corridors that carry the heaviest daily burden. The main stretch runs along the western section of the Outer Ring Road, from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura, covering nearly 28.5 km.

This alone will make it the longest double decker flyover Bengaluru has ever planned. The second corridor follows Magadi Road, from Hosahalli to Kadabagere, a shorter but crucial route for west Bengaluru.

Together, the elevated sections will span about 37 km, trimmed from an earlier proposal of over 44 km. Even after the cut, it remains one of the city’s most ambitious transport projects.

What construction looks like on paper

The first round of tenders covers 3 major stretches. A 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.

A 5 km stretch up to Nagarabhavi Circle, adding stations at Hosakerehalli, Dwaraka Nagar, Mysuru Road and Nagarabhavi Circle. A 6.6 km package till Sunkadakatte, with stations at Vinayaka Layout, Papareddy Palya and BDA Complex Nagar.

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

The cost of breathing space

Big fixes come with bigger numbers. The road flyover component alone is estimated at around Rs 9,700 crore. The overall Phase 3 Metro project is pegged at over Rs 15,600 crore.

The funding split is clear. The Centre is backing the Metro infrastructure. The State government is handling the flyover costs, supported by urban local bodies and loans.

Approvals have already crossed the power corridors. The Union government cleared the Orange Line in August 2024. The Karnataka cabinet approved the flyover integration in September 2024. After long tender delays, the first construction packages finally rolled out in January 2026.

Will this fix traffic or feed it

On paper, the promise is irresistible. Faster travel, fewer choke points. A smoother ride from JP Nagar to Kempapura.

But urban planners are watching closely. More road space can sometimes invite more cars instead of shifting people to public transport. The Metro above may offer a cleaner commute, but the flyover below could quietly encourage private vehicles to multiply.

Bengaluru has seen a smaller version of this experiment near Silk Board on the Yellow Line, where a double decker stretch eased congestion noticeably. The Orange Line is now trying to scale that success across an entire corridor.

A long road to 2031

Construction is expected to begin soon, but this is not a quick win. The full Phase 3 corridors are targeted for operations around 2031. That means years of diversions, dust, and detours before the payoff arrives.

For commuters, it is patience today for speed tomorrow. For the city, it is a bet on vertical growth instead of endless sprawl.

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

If the Orange Line gets it right, this stretch that once symbolised daily frustration might just become the story of how Bengaluru learned to build its way out of a jam, not by spreading wider, but by rising smarter.

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