Bengaluru, 24 July (H.S.): The long-awaited 288-km Bengaluru Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), one of the largest road infrastructure projects aimed at decongesting Bengaluru and improving regional connectivity, is entering its final phase, with four of its six construction packages already completed and the remaining stretches expected to be finished by September and November 2026.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) informed Parliament that the project, which spans about 243 km in Karnataka and 45 km in Tamil Nadu, is progressing steadily. The total capital cost of the project is estimated at ₹14,655 crore.

The update was provided by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha.

According to the Ministry, the STRR has been divided into six packages for execution. Among the completed stretches are the 42-km Dobbspet-Doddballapur Bypass on National Highway-648 and the 38-km Doddballapur-Hoskote section, which has been substantially completed despite the official report recording 99.2% physical progress.

Construction is now in its final stages on the remaining sections. The 21-km Greenfield highway from the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, forming part of NH-648, has achieved nearly 95% physical progress and is expected to be completed by November 2026. The 35.76-km Tamil Nadu stretch on NH-948 has crossed 91% completion and is likely to be ready by September 2026. A 7-km overlapping section integrated with the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway has already been completed.

The Ministry also said that proposals for the next phase of the project have moved forward. The planned six-lane expansion from Oblapura to Kunigal (Phase-I) and from Kunigal to S. Mudugadapallu has been appraised by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), clearing an important procedural milestone before implementation.

Once fully operational, the STRR is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion within Bengaluru, improve freight movement, and strengthen connectivity between satellite towns, industrial corridors and major national highways in Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman