The revamped Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretch between Silk Board Junction and K.R. Puram will have dedicated bus and cycle lanes, besides a Namma Metro elevated corridor, and will creatively utilise space under flyovers to create community spaces, according to a presentation by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. (B-SMILE), accessed by The Hindu.

Six junctions along the stretch will be developed under the project, and the space beneath flyovers at these junctions will be transformed into community spaces featuring seating lounges, markets, vending zones, game courts and a gig hub. The gig hub will offer shaded seating, charging lockers, Wi-Fi and water stations, dedicated micro-mobility docks with solar-powered charging, and an organised auto-rickshaw lay-by with a digital queue system and shaded waiting area.

Cycle and bus lanes

While the footpath will include a marked cycle lane, the carriageway will have a red band indicating the bus lane; neither will be physically segregated, according to the presentation. Civic activist Sandeep Aniruddhan pointed out that bus lanes are effective only when they are located at the centre of the road next to the median and are physically segregated.

Better integration 

In the presentation, B-SMILE said the road will be designed as a mobility corridor with seamless integration of all modes of transport. It aims to provide safe and easy entry/exits to tech parks, well-integrated cross roads, metro stations, and bus stations, along with better storm water disposal to avoid traffic snarls on the key corridor.

As per B-SMILE, there are at least 6.42 Lakh employees using 3.38 lakh vehicles everyday on this ORR stretch.