Upcoming roads to increase connectivity

Upcoming roads to increase connectivity
Road development works are progressing around the city, to ease traffic conditions and for faster travel. R Jayaprakash reports


In Bangalore, developments are slowly taking place far from the city centre - knowledge industry, international airport, proposed IT corridors, integrated townships etc. Quite understandably, one issue that has dogged developments and has proved an impediment is connectivity to these places. This has been rallying point of industry captains and is being addressed on a war footing by a number of initiatives and road projects - NICE's 42 km peripheral ring road, BMRDA's expressway, BBMP's instant flyover, NHAI's road on stilts to Electronic City, to mention a few.
The Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise, which is implementing the 111 km Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corporation Project, has completed the road part of Phase I of the project. The first phase consists of a 9.1 km link road between Mysore Road (BHEL) and Somupura (the interchange and the beginning of the expressway), 12 km expressway up to Bidadi, development of interchanges at Hosur Road, Tumkur Road, and Link Road, and a 41 km peripheral road linking Hosur Road to Tumkur Road and the first township. The state government has allotted 3,500 acres of the required 7,000 acres for completing the first phase.
As of now, a 75 metre wide 41-km peripheral road, separated by grades, connecting Hosur Road (NH7), Bannergatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Sompura Interchange (where the peripheral road meets expressway), Mysore Road, Magadi road, and Tumkur road (NH4) has been completed. However, the peripheral road is incomplete at Gottigere and three other places, as lands were not given to the company to complete the road. Totally, at nine places, including exit and entry ramps at various interchanges on the alignment, lands are not given to the company leaving the work incomplete.
A NICE representative told the TOI that the company has completed all the works in whatever land was allotted to them by the government. "The remaining part of the first phase is a 60 metre wide 9 km link road connecting the existing Mysore road at BHEL circle (West of chord road and Mysore road intersection), to the starting part of the 90 metre wide 12 km expressway up to the first township”, he said.
The expressway, by the BMRDA, to the new international airport at Devanahalli also took off late. However, officials are confident that it will be ready by 2009. "The Rs 1,000 crore project is finally taking shape. We have finalised the route and issued a preliminary notification. We are finalising the consultants and after that, the tendering process will begin. We are hopeful that the project should be completed over 20 months," said a senior PWD official.
The PWD has also written to the centre for availing viability gap funding for acquiring land for the project but is yet to get any reply. On the other hand, he said the NHAI has been requested to gear up the NH 7 to take the airport traffic by constructing more underpasses, interchanges and ROBs. Putting apprehensions to rest over the very formation of the Expressway to the Bangalore international airport, which is under construction, owing to controversy over the alignment, the government has notified the project, which entails a 21.2 km six-lane tolled road.
After a year of conceiving the project, the government through a special gazette dated August 8, notified the project and the boundary for the entire alignment. The Karnataka Road Development Corporation, which is the project implementing authority, has called for a global tender to construct the tolled road on a BOT basis.
On the other hand, plans are afoot to ready the North Corridor, from Minsk Square to Hebbal Flyover, to carry heavy traffic load when the airport is thrown open to passengers. The BBMP has evolved a quick-fix mantra to make this corridor signalfree at low cost and time.
Seven junctions-Windsor Manor Bridge, BDA junction, Cauvery junction, CBI junction, Sanjaynagar junction apart from Maharani's College and KR Circle will be signal-free by March.
BBMP commissioner S Subramanya said that work will begin on December 15 and a traffic plan is being prepared so that traffic will be least affected. "We are working day and night to make service roads so that traffic can be divided. Only near Balabroohi, since the road has to be completely excavated due to a dense network of water lines, the traffic will be diverted. But we will not close the road at any point of time and by March the stretch between Bala Broohi to Hebbal Flyover will be completely signal-free," he said.
Here is the plan for the junctions along the Hebbal Main Road.
Windsor Manor Bridge-The BBMP will widen the existing road into a six-lane road with land that has already been taken over from the golf club. Two pre-cast elements will be placed in the middle of the circle to allow vehicles to take a right turn towards Hotel Ashoka, and those coming from Anugraha to come onto to Hebbal Main Road and take a left or right turn. As the lanes will be increased, options to get into Windsor Manor and change lanes to move towards Hebbal or the city are being made. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 1 crore. It will take seven days to complete it.
BDA junction- Though this is a relatively simpler plan, two long up and down ramps will be made on the Hebbal Main Road. Two box underpasses will allow vehicles to move from Banglore Palace towards Malleswaram, and those coming from Cauvery junction to take a right turn towards Malleshwaram. As the ramps will need embankments, it is estimated that this project will take more time. The cost is estimated at Rs 2.5 crore and will take approximately 45 days to complete.
Cauvery junction- At this junction, vehicles moving towards Hebbal will have to take a left turn towards Bhashyam Circle and then take a 'U' turn after moving 50 meters to join the Hebbal Road. A box will be introduced to take a 'U' turn and another one at the junction, will allow vehicles from Bhashyam Circle to join Hebbal Road and move towards the city.
CBI junction and Sanjaynagar junction: At both these junctions, underpasses will be erected at the middle of the road below the surface level.
Projects to clear bottlenecks elsewhere
Maharani's College: Underpasses will put up below the surface level and allow two-way movement. At the surface level, vehicles coming from Anand Rao Circle will move towards K R Circle uninterrupted.
K R Circle: The plan at K R Circle will have a huge circular underpass right in the middle of the road, where five roads intersect -Vidhana Vidhi, Cubbon Park Road, Nrupathunga Road, Central College Road, and Maharani's College Road. Here, the circular underpass will allow vehicles from Maharani's College to take the underpass to get into Cubbon Park and Nrupathunga Road and vice versa. Up and down ramps will be provided for vehicles to move from Vidhana Vidhi towards Nrupathunga Road and Central College Road and vice versa.

A view of the completed Peripheral Ring Road of the BMIC project