Magadi Road underpass to be ready by December

Magadi Road underpass to be ready by December

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

HURDLES CLEARED: Work in progress at Magadi Road underpass near Vijayanagar in Bangalore on Wednesday.

BANGALORE: Citizens who have been enduring chaotic traffic and one-ways for the last one-and-a-half years in Vijayanagar, can heave a sigh of relief. Work on the Rs. 32- crore Magadi Road-Chord Road underpass is likely to be opened for traffic by November 30.

Binnypet MLA V. Somanna, who inspected the spot with top officials on Wednesday, told presspersons that the project was five months behind schedule because of problems in shifting utility lines.

“Although the project was to be completed by June end, it has been delayed because of unavoidable circumstances. I have directed the officials from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the executing agency, to ensure that the first phase is completed by September 15,” Mr. Somanna said. The MLA said the presence of major underground service lines was known only after the road was dug up for the project.

The modified plan of the 550-metre underpass was coming in the way of the metro rail alignment. This had affected work and the problem was sorted out only after several rounds of discussions between the BDA and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) officials, he said.

“The plan had to be modified because as per the original plan, the Shani Mahatma Temple was to be demolished. This is a famous temple and there has been a lot of opposition from the devotees,” Mr. Somanna said. He said the officials had assured him that the Service Road next to Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) office near Toll Gate would be opened by September 15. Another Service Road towards Vijaynagar, RPC Layout and Pipeline would be ready by August 30, the MLA said and added that he would review the progress every week.

The former corporator H. Ravindra, Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee (KPYCC) general secretary Vishwanath Gowda and officials from BDA, BBMP, Bescom and BWSSB accompanied the MLA.