Flyovers: BDA keen on meeting revised deadlines

Flyovers: BDA keen on meeting revised deadlines
These infrastructure projects are being monitored closely to ensure their completion on time. R Jayaprakash reports

For every commuter passing across any of the under-construction flyovers in the city, the most common question is 'when will they complete the flyovers'. Incidentally, the U P State Bridge Corporation is the agency carrying out the works on all the three flyovers - Airport Road-IRR junction, Jayadeva Flyover, and the Dairy Circle flyover, they being the lowest bidder. The BDA is keen on finishing the construction of the three flyovers that were rescheduled.

Here is an update on the three flyovers' works:

Airport Road-IRR junction

The work has been entrusted to U P State Bridge Corporation at a contract cost of Rs 26.69 crores with the scheduled date of completion as 30.4.2004. The main flyover is along IRR- Indiranagar 80 feet road with a 2-lane divided carriageway. Also, three loops for providing free turning movements from Airport Road to Indiranagar 80 feet road, IRR to Airport road and Airport road to IRR are provided. Also, two grade-level bridges for providing left turning movements from Domlur to Indiranagar and Indiranagar to Airport are provided, and these facilities have already been opened to traffic. Time extension for completion of project upto 30.6.2005 has been granted to the agency.

Grade separator at Jayadeva Institute

The U P State Bridge Corporation has taken up this project at a contract value of Rs 17.56 crores with the scheduled date of completion as 30.4.2004. The main flyover is from the Banashankari side to Hosur Road with a 6-lane unidirectional flyover. A loop from the Bannerghatta side joins the main flyover to provide free turning movement along ORR. An underpass along Bannerghatta road, which has a 4-lane bidirectional divided carriageway is planned. The agency has been granted extension of time till 28.2.2005 for the completion of the entire project after addressing the issues of payment of differential cost of reinforcement steel and release of security deposit against bank guarantee. Also, advance payment for procurement of reinforcement steel to a tune of 75 percent has been made for speeding up the works. However, the main flyover will be ready for inauguration by December 2004.

Grade separator at Dairy Circle

Here again the work has been entrusted to UP State Bridge Corporation at a contract value of Rs 17.30 crores with the scheduled date of completion as 30.4.2004. The main flyover has a 4-lane divided bidirectional carriageway along Hosur road from NIMHANS to Madiwala. An underpass along Bannerghatta Road, which has a 4-lane divided bidirectional carriageway, is envisaged. The Chief Minister opened the main flyover to traffic on 15.9.2004. The project is expected to be complete by the middle of November 2004. The construction of flyover has been completed at a cost of Rs 11.25 crores and construction of underpass is in progress.

Other projects planned

While the works on these flyovers are carried out 24 hours, the BDA has also taken up construction of a flyover at Ananda Rao Circle. The project has been entrusted at a contract value of Rs 27.60 crores with the scheduled date of completion as 28.8.2005. The work comprises a main flyover from Khoday's Circle along Seshadri Road for a total of 646 metres with unidirectional carriageway and a loop towards Race Course side, and unidirectional carriageway service roads for free turn towards Seshadripuram. Land to an extent of 1,870 square metres has been acquired from Bangalore Turf Club premises. The Government has issued directions to the Turf Club Authorities to hand over the land to enable completion of the project at this crucial junction in time. The work comprises fivelane undivided one-way flyover up to Ananda Tao Circle with a 2-lane one-way down ramp towards Basaveshwara Circle and 4-lane one-way flyover along Seshadri Road crossing Ananda Rao Circle and Subbanna Circle.

Another underpass will soon be taken up at Magadi Road-Chord Road junction. The Government has approved the proposal at an estimated cost of Rs 22.50 crores. Tenders will be floated shortly.