Flights of fancy: B’lore roads may be jam-free

B’lore roads may be jam-free
The Core Ring Road, slated to be completed within three years, would make gridlocked morning traffic of the City a thing of past.

Deccan Herald

Bangalore: It may be a Bangalorean’s utopia – traffic jam-free roads – but it might just turn real.

The concept of no stoppage ‘Core Ring Road’, as proposed in the Comprehensive Development Plan for Central Business District, is slowly taking shape, with a detailed project report submitted at the high-level Bangalore Traffic Task Force meeting held on Tuesday.

The 29.5-km Core Ring Road will be a no-stoppage zone, with no U-turns or right turns. Instead, every junction will have steel grade separators to allow for a change in direction. The ring road will circle around Yeshwantpur, Rajajinagar, Sirsi Circle, Chamarajpet, Lalbagh, Dairy Circle, Adugodi, Vellara junction, Trinity Circle, Naga theatre, Benson Town, Jayamahal Road, Sadashivnagar and Mathikere Road.

The Rs 200-crore project will be implemented by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). According to sources, one-third of the project cost is expected to be financed by the Centre under the National Urban Renewal Mission, while the remaining amount will be raised by the BMP through self-generated funds or through loans.

The project is expected to be completed within three years, sources added.

The entire Core Ring Road has been designed along existing roads. There are 50 junctions on the road, out of which, around 30 junctions will have
steel grade separators where road users can turn right or change their direction. The hi-tech separators, designed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), can be constructed within two months. Though it costs 1.7 times more than a concrete flyover, it has been recommended for the Core Ring Road, as it minimises the inconvenience to the road users.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) will install a similar separator at Shantala Circle near the Bangalore Railway Station as a model of the concept. The Core Ring Road can also be integrated to the proposal of elevated toll roads, that is presently pending before the Chief Secretary. The proposal, that was circulated at an infrastructure-related high level committee meeting on Saturday, also suggested the construction of three elevated toll roads over existing arterial roads leading towards Whitefield, Electronic City and Hebbal.

Meanwhile, BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam, when contacted, said the details of the Core Ring Road project will be made public within four to five days.