The Outer Ring Road (ORR) is a major road that is set around most of the perimeter of Bangalore. This has made traveling major distances in the city convenient by significantly reducing traffic snarls on the roads. Built by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), it is a 62km long stretch. The development that started in the year 1996 was gradually completed in the year 2002.
Important neighbourhoods and suburban areas that are covered by the Outer Ring Road are Hebbal, Krishnarajapuram, Banaswadi, Madiwala, Marathahalli, BTM Layout, Banashankari, JP Nagar, Kengeri, Nagarbhavi, Bangalore University, Gokula and Nandini Layout. These localities can be easily reached by traveling along the Outer Ring Road and then taking the necessary deviations.
From the time Outer Ring Road was constructed, all the areas in proximity around this road saw a significant increase in demand for real estate. So much that what initially was an outer road enclosing other localities, soon saw more localities flourishing on its either side. There are shopping malls, temples, flyovers, IT parks, restaurants and a several other things that one come across as you travel along this road.
Connectivity and Transit Options
All the important highways like the Tumkur Road, Old Madras Road, Bellary Road, Hosur Road, Kanakapura Road, Bannerghatta Road, Magadi Road and Mysore Road are connected by the Outer Ring Road. BMTC runs Volvo AC buses along the Outer Ring Road, which are very frequent. There are other non-AC BMTC buses, cabs and auto rickshaws as well.
The Bangalore International Airport is about 30 km from Hebbal, which is a significant transit point over the Outer Ring Road. There are many BMTC buses, and exclusive BIAL buses that operate from different points along the Outer Ring Road. The Hebbal Railway Station, the Channasandra Railway Station and the Krishnarajapuram Railway Station are present along the Outer Ring Road, which is convenient for traveling intra-city and also intra-state.
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses connect the Outer Ring Road to all major suburban areas. Some of the major bus stops in the locality are Hebbal, Nagawara, Hennur, Banaswadi, Ramamurthy Nagar, Narayanapura, KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Kartik Nagar, Marathahalli, Belandur, Agara, Silk Board, BTM Layout, JP Nagar, Banashankari, Dwaraka Nagar, Chandra Layout, Nagarabhavi, Sajjepalya, Kamala Nagar, Chowdeshwari Nagar, Laggere Bridge, Rajkumar Samadhi, Yeshwanthpur, MES Road, Kuvempu Circle and Patelappa Bus Stand.
Major Landmarks
Some prominent landmarks along the Outer Ring Road are:
? Manyata Tech Park
? Ecospace
? Cessna Business Park
? Central Mall
? Soul Space Arena
? Total Mall
? EMC square
? Central Silk Board
? Hotel Novotel
? Hotel Ibis
? Puri Jagannath Temple
? Krishnarajapuram bridge
? Hebbal Lake
? Nagawara Lake
Factors for Growth in the Past
Previously all the IT parks were situated in the southern and eastern pockets of Bangalore, which led to the rapid development of areas such as BTM Layout, Indiranagar, Koramangala, and Sarjapur Road. As IT professionals chose to stay near to their workplace, real estate boom soon followed in these areas. But with the construction of the Outer Ring Road, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) made a lot of efforts in acquiring land and allotting them to promote the growth of IT sector.
Soon after, large areas of land along the Outer Ring Road was marked and converted for industrial hi-tech use. The stretch between Hebbal and Silk Board saw rapid development as it acts as the major connector between the Bangalore International Airport in Devanahalli and various IT parks that are dotted on both the sides of the Outer Ring Road on this stretch.
Real Estate Market along Outer Ring Road
The areas around the Outer Ring Road, especially the stretch from Hebbal to Silk Board is booming with new developments. There are many commercial centres and malls being constructed. Buoyed by this, many residential projects and commercial markets are mushrooming in the area. Currently, multi-storey apartments in Outer Ring Road are being priced at around Rs 5,300 per sq.ft., and are being rented at approximately Rs 17 per sq. ft.
Major Challenges
With increasing number of vehicular population on the roads, the traffic congestion on the Outer Ring Road is growing day by day. There are no safe options to cross the road at many places, which leads to several road accidents. Some parts of the road are still dark with no street lights and some roads are too narrow at certain junctions that causes traffic jams.
Factors for Growth in the Future
The construction of the ORR and the developments that took place around it has ignited a never ending chain of infrastructural growth. More and more hotels, malls, and residential developments are being undertaken. There’s a vision of making the entire stretch a signal-free road, for which around 8 flyovers and 2 underpasses are being constructed at different intersections. Some of these have been already constructed, some are under progress, and the rest are yet to begin.
The Outer Ring Road provides good connectivity to the Old Madras Road, Banaswadi Road and Hennur Road, which are important stretches. These roads will be widened to ease the traffic generated by the vehicles. The stretch between KR Puram, Marathahalli and Sarjapur offers great potential for developments based on availability of land pockets.
The Elevated Expressway, the Metro Phase II, the Bellary Elevated Expressway, the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), the Grand Mall are few projects that are expected to boost the infrastructural quotient along the Outer Ring Road.