Bangalore-Mysore journey to be faster

Bangalore-Mysore journey to be faster

The Hindu

The new highway will be thrown open to traffic tomorrow The highway to be commissioned tomorrow will reduce travel time to 2 hours

# A detailed project report has been submitted to upgrade the road from Jnanabharati to Srirangapatna Circle from four-lane to six-lane
# This will include service lanes on either side of the roads for slow traffic


BANGALORE: The four-lane highway between Bangalore and Mysore would be thrown open to traffic on Thursday, said Ramesh Zalki, Managing Director of Karnataka Road Development Corporation. It will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Mr. Zalki said the new highway would reduce travel time between Bangalore and Mysore from three-and-a-half to two hours. Nandi Infrastructure was also building a road between Bangalore and Mysore, but it would a toll road, he said.

A detailed project report had been submitted to the Government to upgrade the road from Jnanabharati to Srirangapatna Circle from four-lane to six-lane.

Service lanes

This would include service lanes on either side of the roads for slow traffic, he added. Mr. Zaki said that detailed project reports had also been prepared for developing bypasses from Mysore Ring Road to Kengeri, Bidadi, Ramanagar, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna. The State Government had taken up the project to widen the 112-km. road between Bangalore and Mysore in 2004 when the density of traffic on the highway became very high. This not only prolonged the journey time, but also contributed to accidents, he added. Traffic density on the road is now estimated to be 18,000 to 20,000 passenger vehicles a day.

"With a median in between the widened four-lane highway, which is designed for speeds of 100 km an hour, people can glide into Mysore in two hours," Mr. Zalki said.

The first phase of the project — 62 km from Jnanabharati to Maddur — was entrusted to Brindavan Infrastructure Company on a deferred payment basis. The cost of the phase was Rs. 188 crore.

Second phase

The contract for the second phase from Maddur to Mysore Ring Road to Soma enterprises for Rs. 116 crore, he said.

Work on both the phases had almost been completed. But some work still need to be completed in Ramnagara and Channapatna, Mr. Zalki said.

The project would involve construction of four major bridges over Lokapavani, Cauvery and Paschimavahini rivers, and 23 minor bridges, straightening of 19 curves and 22 bus bays, he added.