Three more grade separators; only an interim relief: BCC

Three more grade separators; only an interim relief: BCC
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The traffic has fallen from the pot onto the fire, getting worse every year as over seven lakh new vehicles have started plying the Bangalore roads every year.

The Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) plans three more grade separators for a City, it estimates will reach the high congestion index by 2015.

The new grade separators are planned at Yehshwanthpur Circle, Minerva Circle and Malleswaram Circle and will only provide interim relief.

The five-arm junction at Yeshwanthpur will have a flyover from Tumkur Road with down ramps towards CV Raman Road, Malleswaram and Mathikere.

BCC sources said that the cost of the project would be Rs 13.07 crore and cost of land acquisition 12.07 crore.

With peak hour morning traffic at the junction being 7,533 passenger car units per hour and 8028 pcu per hour at evening, the project is expected to lead to time and fuel savings of Rs 20 lakh annually.

The traffic survey at the junction indicates that the traffic comprises 55 percent two wheelers, 37 percent cars and 7 percent buses.

The project will have a bi-directional four-lane flyover from Tumkur Road to C V Raman Road, which would reduce traffic signal delay to zero.

Signal delay would be 26 seconds on Malleswaram Road, Yeshwanthpur Road and Mathikere Road, said sources. However the project would reach congestion by 2015, he admits.

Malleswaram Circle A grade separator is planned from K C General hospital to Link Road across Malleswaram Circle, which has a traffic load of 7800 pcu per hour. The Rs 8.2 crore project will have a covered portion at Malleswaram circle. Minerva Circle A three-lane one-way flyover is planned along J C Road over Minerva Circle and Bharath junction. The Rs 14.41 crore project will have two-way entry ramps towards V V Puram and R V Road.

The junction has a traffic load of 16242 pcu per hour and the time and fuel savings from the project would be Rs 4.58 crore in the first year.

The contractors for all the three projects have been selected and the proposal is pending approval of BCC council, said sources.