Elevated Roads driving Real Estate

That improved infrastructure is often the harbinger of development is eloquently visible in two such road projects in the city. Two major elevated road projects have also created new residential neighbourhoods in the suburbs. In Bangalore south, the 10 km elevated Hosur Road expressway connecting Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City has reduced travel time to just 10 minutes. In Bangalore north, the elevated Tumkur Road project connecting Yeshwantpur to Nelamangala which will soon be operational from this month will cut down commuting time to a mere 20 minutes.

Elevated Hosur Road to Electronics City

Since being operational from January 2010, the 10 km four-lane elevated road from Silk Board Junction to Electronics City in south Bangalore has helped bridge the tedious commute especially for IT employees, bringing down the travel time from 30 minutes along the ground level road to 10 minutes on the elevated stretch.

According to a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official, this premier road project has decongested the route along the Hosur Road which is the entry and exit point to Tamil Nadu. Heavy traffic which was a bane for commuters now flows freely on the ground level sixlane road.

To cater to the burgeoning need of the IT industry, the Master Plan 2015 has expanded the hi-tech corridor to include south, east and west parts of Bangalore. In south Bangalore, the hi-tech zone will now include the Outer Ring Road (ORR), Hosur Road and Electronic City as prominent hubs for both the IT and ITeS industries.

Realty potential

The signal-free expressway has fuelled realty developments flanking the route to Electronics City which is emerging as a premium office space with a host of software parks and biotechnology units setting up their centres here. Two biotechnology units, one at Electronic City and the other at Anekal, are coming up and are slated to create employment opportunities to residents around here, hence also spurring residential development.

Several villa layouts, row houses, or three-four bedroom apartments are coming up in Anekal, Bommasandra and around Electronics City, predominantly targeted at the IT workforce. Four major BDA layouts - KHB Suryanagar layout, Devraj Urs Layout, Nijalingappa Layout and the K C Reddy Layout - have been planned here.

Elevated Tumkur Road and Nelamangala

The six-lane Bangalore-Nelamangala highway stretch with a 4.5 km elevated portion will enhance connectivity to Tumkur and to the international airport through NH 207. With the completion of this Tumkur Road project, motorists can now drive between Nelamangala and Goreguntepalya (Outer Ring Road junction) in 15 minutes as against over an hour previously.

“Tumkur Road is NH 4 and a vital entry point from south and north Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa into Bangalore and 80 percent of inbound traffic to the city comes from this route,” says a senior official of NHAI. “It is one of the busiest highways in terms of traffic and transports 1.2 lakh passenger car units (PCU) daily,” he adds.

Primarily a warehousing and transport area, Nelamangala has come into its own gradually with the city’s exponential growth. It is a taluk and according to the Taluk Industrial Development Plan (TIDP) of the Department of Industries and Commerce, it has potential for the promotion of around 900 units in tiny and small scale industries (SSI) sector, including services, besides 122 large and medium scale industrial units. Such developments are expected to result in creating direct employment for about 60,000 persons and indirect employment for about 25,000. Somapura nearby is emerging as a prime automotive spare parts manufacturing hub.

The improved Tumkur Road is scheduled for inauguration in the third week of November according to the official. The toll fee is minimal at Rs 15 per car for oneway and around Rs 25 for two-way entry. The cost of construction has been pegged at approximately Rs 719 crores.

Realty potential

Tumkur Road was always considered an industrial belt due to the factories and godowns in Peenya and Nelamangala. The completion of this road project is gradually spurring warehousing activity in the surrounding areas of Jalahalli, Dasarahalli, Yeshwantpur, Nagasandra, Madanayakahalli, as well as Peenya and Nelamangala. “This kind of expansion will generate employment for thousands of people in the warehousing and logistics sector. With so many employed in the industries and warehouses looking for accommodation close to their workplace, there is tremendous potential for budget housing along Tumkur Road,” says Zahed Mahmood, Director, Silverline Realty.

A few developers have launched their residential projects along this route, and social infrastructure such as hospitals, residential schools, colleges, showrooms and hotels are emerging on both sides of the highway.