Bengaluru’s expanding infrastructure network presents a major challenge: how can the city accommodate new projects without worsening traffic congestion? The revised Bengaluru Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), being prepared by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), aims to coordinate transport and urban development across the city and its surrounding region. Expected within roughly a year, the plan could reshape how future mobility needs are addressed, although its impact will depend on implementation and coordination between agencies.
DULT prepared Bengaluru’s first CMP in 2020, outlining a 15-year strategy extending to 2035. Its estimated cost was ₹2.30 lakh crore, divided into three phases. However, urban experts estimate that only a limited share of its objectives has been achieved, with several proposals remaining largely unimplemented.
The earlier plan included:
After the Karnataka government changed in 2023, the former Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioned a separate study from Altinok Consulting Engineering Inc. The ₹5.54 crore Comprehensive Bengaluru City Traffic Management Infrastructure Plan 2024 proposed approximately 124 km of elevated corridors and short flyovers, double decker metro corridors and around 46 km of twin tube tunnel roads. The study subsequently faced allegations of copying existing material.
The new CMP, estimated to cost ₹4.16 crore, will be prepared by DULT. It is also a prerequisite for securing central government approval for Namma Metro projects.
The revised CMP is being developed alongside the Revised Master Plan (RMP), with the aim of aligning land use, transport infrastructure and future development. Unlike earlier approaches that focused on the former BBMP’s approximately 800 sq km jurisdiction, the new exercise is expected to consider the wider Bengaluru ecosystem, including the metropolitan region, outer areas, satellite towns and emerging transport corridors.
DULT, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Bengaluru Development Authority, K-RIDE, Metro authorities, National Highways and other agencies are expected to contribute to this coordinated exercise. Surveys have reportedly begun, with the plan potentially ready in early 2027.
Planners are also examining whether major bus and truck terminals, along with other facilities that attract heavy traffic, could be shifted outside the city. The objective is to reduce congestion while aligning infrastructure decisions with long term urban growth.
The revised plan faces a difficult starting point: several large projects have already received government approval. The wider infrastructure pipeline includes a tunnel road and 12 flyovers, while another estimate places major approved projects at approximately ₹1.5 lakh crore.
Key concerns include:
The city has also been without an elected municipal council since September 2020, leaving major planning decisions largely with the state government.
Bengaluru’s mobility plan must reconcile existing infrastructure commitments with the need for better public transport, connected roads and coordinated regional development. Whether the revised CMP delivers lasting congestion relief will depend on how effectively agencies work together and whether its recommendations translate into practical action.
1. What is Bengaluru’s new Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP)?
Bengaluru’s new CMP is a transport planning exercise led by DULT to coordinate mobility and urban development across the city and metropolitan region. The ₹4.16 crore plan follows the original 2020 CMP, which outlined improvements through 2035.
2. How much did Bengaluru’s 2020 CMP propose for transport development?
Bengaluru’s 2020 CMP estimated expenditure of ₹2.30 lakh crore across three phases up to 2035. Its proposals included bus priority corridors, 50 km of TenderSURE roads, cycle tracks and a target of raising public transport’s share from 40% to 70%.
3. What infrastructure did Bengaluru’s 2024 traffic management study propose?
The Comprehensive Bengaluru City Traffic Management Infrastructure Plan 2024, commissioned by the former BBMP, proposed approximately 124 km of elevated corridors and short flyovers, double decker metro corridors and around 46 km of twin tube tunnel roads. The study cost ₹5.54 crore.
4. How will Bengaluru’s new CMP address congestion beyond the city centre?
Bengaluru’s revised CMP is expected to cover the metropolitan region, outer areas, satellite towns and developing corridors. It will also examine relocating major truck and bus terminals and other traffic generating facilities outside the city.
5. What role does BMLTA have in Bengaluru’s mobility planning?
The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority is intended to support coordinated transport planning. However, staffing shortages have limited its operations, while legislative amendments in August reportedly reduced its ability to scrutinise major infrastructure projects.
6. Why is Bengaluru’s road network a concern for the new CMP?
Bengaluru’s road to total area ratio has been estimated at approximately 8%, against a cited requirement of 15%. The city also recorded 78,084 new vehicle registrations in June 2026, highlighting the pressure on its existing road network.
