• Source:JND
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Bengaluru News: In order to counter the issue of heavy traffic congestion,  Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is planning to build an Eastern Connectivity Tunnel, which will connect the eastern part of the city to the airport, one of the busiest routes of the city. The project will provide relief to the people residing in the eastern regions of Bengaluru, such as Mahadevapur, Sarjapur, and other parts of Whitefield.

The tunnel is an important component of BIAL's infrastructure expansion strategy to expand Bengaluru's aviation sector. The BIAL is planning to construct two metro stations on the airport campus, building new aircraft parking stands, expanding taxiways, upgrading parking infrastructure, and completing Phase 2 of Terminal 2 to counter the crowd issue.

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The plan from BIAL comes amid the ambitious construction of an 18-km tunnel road that connects Silk Board Junction and Hebbal. The BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited) is building an airport line that will connect 58.19 km long Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to Central Silk Board. The BMRCL informed that the operations will begin in 2026. The construction of the tunnel will reduce time from the southern region of Bengaluru to central from 60-90 minutes to 20-40 minutes. The government is operating several projects aimed at improving the connectivity between the different regions of the city. It will also help the city shed the tag of being traffic-congested, which has affected its image. 

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The airport for now is mostly accessible through its western entrance, and the proposed eastern connectivity tunnel will provide an alternative for the residents, easing the congestion. It will significantly reduce the time travel by approximately half an hour for commuters from the Whitefield region. The experts estimated that the construction of the new tunnel will reduce at least 30 per cent of the congestion, the Indian Express reported. Hari Marar, CEO of BIAL, stated that the construction of the tunnel will begin this year and is set to be finished within three years.