More plans to just shift traffic bottlenecks

CITY FLYOVERS
Nine done, two on, and seven to go
The city roads need more flyovers with the large number of vehicles on them.

The Times of India


It's a week since the Anand Rao Circle flyover was thrown open to the public. Commuters from Bangalore south and west are heaving sigh relief. Today, putting in massive infrastructure projects has become an ongoing process all thanks to the huge growth of the city.

While the BDA completed the Anand Rao Circle flyover in a record time, two other grade separators - Jayadeva and Airport Road-IRR interchange - are in for flak for partial completion and the consequent delay. Speaking on the works being carried out here a senior BDA official said, "initially the delay was due to cost escalations and it took some time for us resolve the issue. Then we had to undertake some design changes as there were some flaws in the initial design. Almost 80 percent of the work on both grade separators is over. While the underpass at the Jayadeva Hospital is almost over with the main flyover already opened, two loops are ready at the Airport Road-IRR interchange and the main flyover is nearing completion. The grade separators will be open to public in March and May respectively.

With this, nine flyovers are completed, two are underway and the remaining seven that are in the pipeline are South End Circle, Minerva Circle, Yeswanthpur, Malleswaram,Vijaynagar-Magadi Road junction, Wind Tunnel Road, Shantala Silk House junction and Trinity Circle by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore City Corporation (BCC).

That is not just it. The BCC has started the mammoth exercise of preparing a detailed project report and feasibility report for 11 junctions and intersections to put up more grade separators. The authority feels that this has to be taken up immediately as they are turning out to be bottlenecks holding up traffic and causing a pile up. The 11 locations are Kanakapura Ring Road junction, Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle, RV Teachers College, Ramakrishna Ashram, Tagore Circle, Mission Road, Ramakrishna Ashram, MES Road (Ring Road/railway station), Peenya Dasarahalli, Shantala Silks junction and Balekundri Circle.

However, it will be a while before these projects take off. And what lies in the immediate proximity is taking up the remaining six flyovers suggested by the KRDCL. Here is a round-up on the status.

South End Circle

It is one of the busiest junctions that connects the southern parts of Bangalore. Estimated at a total cost of around Rs 17 crores, this project will involve an underpass from Sajjan Rao Circle Road towards BHS Road, and flyover between Laxman Rao Road and Vijaya College Road. The Consulting Engineering Services (CES) conducted a feasibility report on behalf of the BCC and tenders have been floated in this connection. Once it is through, the BCC council and state government will decide. The timeframe for the completion of the project is 12 months from the date of commencement. This junction is one of the most crucial passages into the city for commuters residing in Jayanagar, Banashankari and J P Nagar areas. Traffic snarls are common here as the volume reaches around 16,242 PCU/hour during peak hours.

Though South End Circle is a spacious junction that facilitates large traffic movement, heavy traffic has resulted in vehicles pile up. According to an origin and destination survey conducted by the CES, South End Circle is the most commonly used junction for vehicles entering the city and leaving towards Hosur Road, Kanakapura Road, and Bannerghatta Road. The major share of traffic flow during peak hours is along north-south, which involves Laxman Rao Road and Vijaya College Road. The traffic flow at these hours is 5,348 PCU/hour, constituting 33 percent of the junction's volume. So, the flyover will be along this axis.

Minerva Circle

Estimated at a total cost of Rs 14.41 crores, this project will involve two ramps, one on R V Road and the other on V V Puram Road (Sajjan Rao Circle Road) to merge over Minerva Circle and climb down on J C Road. This is one of the most crucial passages into the city for commuters residing in Jayanagar, Basavanagudi, Banashankari and J P Nagar areas. Traffic snarls are common here as the volume reaches around 16,242 PCU/hour during peak hours. Though J C Road was made one-way a couple of years ago things have not changed much.

The five-armed intersection has R V Road, Fort Road, V V Puram Road, Basappa Circle Road, and J C Road meeting at this junction. Being in the immediate vicinity of the city market, J C Road is one of the important commercial roads of Bangalore. Added to this is the fact that this is a connecting road, which makes traffic dense. Tenders have been floated for the project.

Yeswanthpur

Estimated at a cost of Rs 14 crores, the project is aimed at decongesting heavy traffic movement at this fivearm junction. Tenders have been called and soon the BCC will shortlist the appropriate firms for the project. Once the flyover is complete, relief to the junction will be 33 percent. The construction time for the flyover will be 12 months, while service roads will take three months for completion. A flyover here will ease traffic on Tumkur Road (NH4), C V Raman Road, Malleswaram Road, and Mathikere Road. The peak traffic at the junction is 7,533 PCU per hour in the mornings and 8,028 PCU per hour in the evenings with around 55 percent of the traffic being two-wheelers and auto rickshaws, around 37 percent being cars and trucks, and seven percent buses.

Malleswaram

Malleswaram Circle is one of the busiest junctions in the area with a typical fourlegged intersection with Sampige Road on the north and south sides of the junction, MKK Road on the west and Link Road on the east. The underpass will start at the KC General Hospital and Malleswaram Grounds. Tenders have been finalised and soon work order for the project will be given. The traffic volume here is 7,800 PCU/hour during peak hours with queuing of vehicles being 150 metres due to prolonged congestion. The grade separator will cost around Rs 14 crores, including shifting of utilities, cost of land acquisition and miscellaneous expenses.

Vijaynagar-MagadiRoad junction

This junction connects two major roads - West of Chord Road and Magadi Road. It also acts as the entry point for vehicles to reach the center of the city from almost all areas in the southern part. While the movement of heavy vehicles has increased on Chord Road, as it connects Mysore Road to Tumkur Road, Magadi Road is too narrow to accommodate the mounting traffic. The BDA has drawn up plans to construct a flyover at this junction.

Trinity Circle

The Trinity Circle is at the junction of four roads - Mahatma Gandhi Road, Trinity Church Road, Ulsoor Tank Road, and Old Madras Road. However, all the roads do not meet at one location but at two offset locations within about 50 metres. The junction currently has extremely heavy traffic congestion with intercity and interstate vehicles plying on this road. The traffic density at this junction at peak hours is recorded at 9,350 PCU/hr. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 14 crores and this includes cost of land acquisition design and construction supervision, cost escalation, and shifting of utilities. Tenders are floated and are yet to be finalised.

Airport Road-Wind Tunnel junction

An underpass of 342 metres length having a 4-lane divided bi-directional carriageway costing about Rs 19.6 crores is being proposed to be constructed by the BDA.