Smooth drive to new airport still a far-cry

Smooth drive to new airport still a far-cry
By Satish Shile, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The first of the seven underpasses planned to ensure signal-free route to the airport is not complete...


The countdown for the Devanahalli airport launch has begun.

Yet, the first of the seven underpasses planned to ensure signal-free route to the airport is not complete. Delay in the Cauvery junction underpass work may cascade down to the other six pending underpass works.

Palike Commissioner Dr S Subramanya’s plans to complete the Cauvery junction in three days has gone terribly wrong.

The Palike was to start work on the BDA junction underpass soon after the completion of the first project on January 19. The delay in the first project could delay all other underpasses.

Originally scheduled for completion by February 28, the BDA junction underpass is unlikely to start before February first week, while work on the underpass at Windsor Manor was slated to begin on January 28.

A senior BBMP engineer felt the Palike should not have announced the three-day deadline.

But Chief Engineer (Major Roads) K S Krishna Reddy said the Palike was committed to meet the deadline. “Still there is two-month’s time. It has given orders for 500 pre-cast elements. 225 elements are required to complete seven underpasses. There are 40 elements sufficient to finish works at BDA office junction and Windsor Manor junction,” Mr K S Krishna Reddy said.

According to the Palike engineers plans, the BDA office junction underpass will require 40 days, while the CBI office junction will take at least 30 days to complete. Other pending projects on Bellary Road include underpasses at Sanjay Nagar junction, Hebbal junction, and Hebbal police station junction.

The Palike has refrained from announcing any fresh deadlines for individual underpasses. Commissioner Subramanya said, “We will try to finish all works by March 30”.

Metro rail - long wait

Mr K S Krishna Reddy said the Metro Rail would require at least five years to complete. Bangaloreans could not wait for such a long time, since the International Airport was scheduled to take off soon.

At peak hours, the Bellary road traffic moves at 10 km per hour. By the month of April vehicular movement on the road will increase and the traffic speed is bound to reduce further.