New road to clear airport hurdles

New road to clear airport hurdles


Bengaluru, June 8: The road to Devanahalli airport may no longer be filled with hurdles. The two-year-old trumpet interchange project connecting NH7 to the airport is finally ready. The lack of proper accessibility to the the airport has been a major concern for people in the city. The completion of this road will mean a much needed respite for many in the city.

The project, which was started by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in early 2006, was stopped midway after it was caught in litigation. However, work resumed after a year when the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) handed over the construction work to L&T sensing the urgency of the situation. Infrastructure secretary, Mr V.P. Baligar, said, “We have finished the work and people can start using it from now. It will provide easy access to commuters travelling to the airport. The entire project cost has come up to Rs 120 crore.”

The airport is located at a distance of 5-km from the National Highway. For commuters travelling from the city, now they can take a direct diversion up to the trumpet interchange from NH7. They need not go a kilometer ahead, take a U-turn and come to the airport via a muddy road. Angana Roy, a frequent commuter says, “I have to travel almost everyday. Thank god at least some routes to the airport are now accessible. The airport is so far making it virtually inaccessible to many in the city. It is important to have flawless connectivity.” Apart from this, the widening of the NH7 is also in progress and officials said that this too would be completed very soon.