Wider roads to be greener

Wider roads to be greener
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Wide roads in Bangalore could be green too. Most development projects in the city, including the Metro Rail, are now taking a fresh look at planning and design. These include the road widening along Palace Road, Race Course, Seshadri Road and Kasturba Road slated for completion by September 2007.
At least two roads — Palace Road and Seshadri Road — will have dedicated auto lanes along the carriageway demarcated by a row of trees. Even as the Karnataka Road Development Corporation (KRDC) starts work, a meeting of tree officers, traffic personnel and engineering department decided to carve out dedicated lanes for two- and three-wheelers instead of widening.
The KRDC has started widening of Race Course Road and 56 trees have been identified for felling and many others will be translocated.
Chunks of land belonging to three government properties are yet to be acquired. There are 12 private properties of which four have to be acquired. Boundary walls of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, a star hotel and KPTCL office have been pulled down. Meanwhile, the Bangalore Turf Club which is supposed to part with 20 ft for the road has approached the government against the acquisition.
“We identified 64 trees on Palace and Seshadri roads to be felled. But now we want to save as many trees as possible,’’ said a senior BBMP official.
Meanwhile, the other two roads —Race Course Road and Kasturba Road — will be widened from four lanes to six lanes. All four roads will be upgraded with features like drains, pavements and standard medians at total cost of Rs 12.5 crore.
Officials say the benefits are many: “A total of 6 kms will be widened, which will provide 40% relief from traffic congestion. Moreover, it will streamline traffic into a lane system. By default, the retaining of the row of trees will also reduce the cost of the project to some extent,’’ explained an official.
What next?
Even as the four roads entrusted to KRDC have started clearing out properties along the project area, tenders are being readied for four more roads — Hosur Road, Hosur-Lasker road, Bellary Road and Nrupatunga Road. An offcial said, “Nrupatunga Road will get two bus bays to ease congestion, while the other three will be widened.”
The BBMP has notified 85 roads for widening following recommendations from the traffic department. While consultants have been roped in for mapping the roads and the properties to be acquired, the BBMP is busy promoting transferable development rights (TDR). “Most properties belong to the government, but even if one private property is involved we need to prepare them to buy TDR which may take time. Till now, we have sold 10 TDRs and 15 more are under process,’’ added an official.