Airport project: infrastructure plans get the nod

Airport project: infrastructure plans get the nod

The Hindu

Flyover and interchange planned on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway

BANGALORE: With work starting on the Rs. 1,200-crore international airport project at Devanahalli, plans have been cleared for supporting infrastructure.

One of these will be a flyover and interchange on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway (NH 7) for smooth transit of vehicles to the airport terminal buildings.

Road widening

Bellary Road, as it is more commonly known, is being widened to have six lanes, three in either direction and the interchange will begin close to the railway line and pass over it, according to plans.

Only 60 acres of land will be required for this project which will also have an exit from the airport towards Bangalore, joining the main highway about three km beyond the airport.

Through traffic from Bangalore towards Hyderabad will proceed as usual without any pause on the highway.

Vehicles coming along the highway towards Bangalore too will not have any problems.

Vehicles from the city going to the airport will take a ramp to the left of the highway, go into one of the loops of the flyover and continue straight to the terminal and car park.

Those driving towards Hyderabad will go under this loop on the highway.

Vehicles coming out of the airport will join the highway a bit southwards, avoiding the flyover altogether.

Those who have to drive northwards from the airport will have another ramp to the flyover and an exit to the highway.

No traffic snarls

Highways department engineers call this interchange-flyover a "trumpet loop" because of its curved shape and say it may be the first of its size and shape in the country.

The estimated cost may touch Rs. 38 crores, which is considered good value since it can save a lot of traffic snarls, once the international airport becomes operational.

It may be contracted on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of 20 years to private developers. They will have to recover the cost through toll stations.

Plans for the interchanging-flyover were kept pending till the financial closure for the airport project which has now been completed.

Work progressing

Meanwhile, work is on at a brisk pace on the 1,650 hectares of land acquired and cleared for the airport project.

Work on the 4,000-metre runway and all buildings is expected to be completed by mid 2008 when the first flights are to land.