Three more elevated roads for city

Three more elevated roads for city
The BBMP has planned three new elevated roads, apart from the three planned earlier, to ease traffic conditions in the city. Sai Prasanna reports


While the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has already proposed three elevated roads for the city to ease the traffic congestion, three more are in the planning stage. The new three elevated roads have been proposed from Minerva junction to Hudson Circle (3 km) negotiating both junctions, Rajajinagar entrance to Yeshwanthpur along Dr Rajkumar Road (4.5km) and the third will be extension of the Sirsi Circle flyover up to Kengeri (10.2 km).
All these three projects are at an initial stage. The BBMP is yet to finalise the plans and only then will tenders be called for. No timeframe has yet been set for any of these projects.
Minerva junction to
Hudson Circle
The elevated road coming up along this stretch will have a three-lane unidirectional carriageway. There will be one up-ramp from R V Road and another from V V Puram Road. The road will travel along J C Road and take a turn near Town Hall. The alignment was changed to avoid heritage buildings like the Town Hall.
There will be one downramp to Mission Road (in front of the LIC building) which will cross N R Road. Another down-ramp will lead to Kempegowda Road and the third one will lead to Kasturba Road. The approximate length of the road including the ramps comes up to three km and the cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 60 crores.
This elevated road has been specially proposed for light motor vehicles (LMVs). Almost 90 percent of the LMVs will be taken care of by this road. People driving from the south through this road to reach the Central Business District will find it very easy to commute as there will be no need to stop at five junctions - Minerva junction, Bharath talkies, Shivaji talkies, Town Hall junction, and Hudson Circle junction. Rajajinagar Entrance to Yeshwanthpur
The elevated road proposed along this stretch is still in a preliminary planning stage. As of now, the road has been planned as a bi-directional one with a four-lane carriageway (two seven-metre wide lanes on either side). There will be an up-ramp and a down-ramp opposite CMTI. The structure will be a concrete one with piers and precast elements. The piers will come up first over which the pre-fabricated elements will be set using a launching girder. This road will be open to all traffic.
Extension of Sirsi
Circle flyover up to
Kengeri
The proposal for this road is also in an initial planning stage. It is being planned as a bi-directional road with a four-lane carriageway. As of now, the traffic survey is on and the alignment is being finalised as the main Metro terminal will also come up close by. It has been proposed to construct the road on a public-private partnership model (PPP). If it is constructed on this basis, there will be toll plazas for the collection of toll. The number of toll plazas will depend on the number of ramps decided and the kind of users of the road. This road will also be open to all traffic. Elevated roads for better connectivity
Composite construction
technology to be used
The BBMP has decided to use the composite construction technology for the elevated road from the Minerva Circle junction to Hudson Circle junction.
This road will be constructed with a concrete foundation. The piers, pier caps, and deck slab will be made of structural steel. Over this, it has been proposed to have a wearing coat of concrete for effective anti-skid resistance. As the structure will be made of steel, it can be dismantled and shifted or altered at any later stage due to changes in the movement of traffic.
First, the area will be excavated and then plain cement concrete (PCC) will be put in. Above this there will be a prefabricated reinforcement cage and then concreting will be done. This will form the foundation, for the pier, that will come above the ground level. Apart from the foundation, all the other parts will be pre-fabricated at a fabrication yard and then assembled at the spot. Once the foundation is laid, the pre-fabricated piers will be erected.
The advantage of having this kind of road only for LMVs is that the construction cost will be less and as the pier size will be reduced due to
the operation of only LMVs, this will leave greater space under the elevated road for unhindered and smooth operation of public transport.
Status of project
Sources at the BBMP say that as of now, the feasibility study is over and has been cleared by the technical advisory committee. The detailed project reports (DPRs) should be ready in a month and then it will be sent to the Government for approval after having passed through all the procedures at the BBMP. After obtaining approval from the authority concerned, the tendering process will begin.
The construction technology for the Sirsi Circle Flyover project is yet to be finalised.