BBMP opens its first ‘magic box’

BBMP opens its first ‘magic box’

Staff Reporter

Response has been good from vehicle users to the Cauvery junction underpass

— Photo: K Murali Kumar

THE WAIT IS OVER: Vehicles pass through BBMP’s magic box underpass on T. Chowdiah Road, at the Cauvery junction in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Bangalore: Bangalore’s first “magic box” underpass built under the new cost-effective technology in just 35 days was finally opened for public without any fanfare on Wednesday.

The new underpass evoked fairly good response among the vehicle users with a majority of them expressing satisfaction over Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s attempt to ease traffic congestion on Bellary Road.

However, absence of pedestrian crossings has become a worrying factor for those who work in the nearby business establishments as they have to risk their life for crossing the roads.

Although BBMP failed to complete the work in 72-hours as announced earlier, people said that finishing a project in 35 days, that too with a low cost of Rs. 1.5 crore, was an achievement by a government agency.

The design of the underpass reduced the speed of the vehicles to as low as 10 kmph (some time dead slow) before taking a U-turn above the underpass surface. But it has reduced the travelling time by at least 60 per cent between Mehkri Circle and BDA junction. Earlier, vehicle users were required to wait for nearly 3 to 5 minutes at Cauvery junction signal.

With the construction of the underpass, vehicles will not stop at the junction although their speed gets reduced.

BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya said that it would take a week for people to get used to the U-turn, which was the only possible solution in shortest time. He said the BBMP would consider building a skywalk for pedestrians at the junction.

The work on “magic box” underpasses at Windsor Manor and BDA junction would commence after February 22 depending on the strike by trucks and other transport vehicles as transporting construction material had to be ensured before beginning the work, he added.