How Bengaluru’s Hebbal flyover ramp beat a 10-year standstill

After nearly 10 years of planning delays and false starts, the Hebbal flyover downramp project was finally completed in under 18 months, bringing long-awaited relief to north Bengaluru commuters.

BDA engineers worked round the clock, often sleeping on factory floors, surviving on roadside meals and sacrificing family time, festivals and holidays to recover time lost to years of bureaucratic hurdles.

When construction restarted in early 2024, engineers had to navigate active traffic, railway operations and overlapping Metro and transport projects, requiring constant coordination and real-time problem-solving.

To keep the project on track, BDA teams carried out night-time construction and clocked over 100 on-site visits, ensuring steady progress despite logistical and administrative challenges.

Executive engineers said the key to finishing in 1.5 years was abandoning siloed work culture, taking ownership and coordinating closely across departments — a process that usually takes three years.

Challenges ranged from a scrapped steel flyover proposal and alignment clashes with Metro projects to maintaining a judicial traffic lane and rerouting vehicles through a temporary road.

Assistant executive engineer Sharan MS recalled overseeing bolt manufacturing in Ludhiana just a month after his wedding, while others admitted they barely saw their families during the project period.