UNDERPASS NEAR MAHARANI COLLEGE

UNDERPASS NEAR MAHARANI COLLEGE
GRIN AND BEAR IT
Work on an underpass on Seshadri Road is making the already congested area worse for motorists. But the magic box will ensure a smooth drive. So...
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: A busy, broad junction bruised. Roads dug up, exposing thick black cables on the rocky surface below. Concrete blocks lined up and ready to be placed. Heavy traffic plying on the remaining space, through a cloud of dust. In short, that’s the situation at the Seshadri Road-Palace Road junction near Maharani College.
Preparatory work of shifting utility lines, to construct a magic box underpass here, alongside road-widening work, is giving motorists a harrowing time. The busy junction bears 1 lakh passenger car units per day, with traffic converging from across the city. The 12-metre-wide box is expected to ease congestion. It will be open for vehicles on Palace Road, creating ample space on Seshadri Road above it.
According to the tender, the project is to be completed within six months. It was approved by the government in October last year. However, almost 70% of the project timeline has been set aside only for shifting utility lines in the area. More than three months have already been spent on this, and work is yet to be completed.
BBMP ready, but...
“We are ready to lay the segments anytime. All the material has arrived,’’ BBMP chief engineer (major roads) K S Krishna Reddy told TOI. The agency had planned to start laying the blocks on January 30, but this has been delayed as utility lines continue to be shifted. “There are 30-50 cables here.
Work is under progress. Tackling the rocky surface has been a hurdle,’’ BSNL engineer Ananthnarayan said.
Be ready for diversions
The Palike hopes to start work in a week’s time. Once that happens, the road will be blocked to traffic for three-four days. “We are yet to receive the traffic management plan that will be in place during the construction and post-construction period. Considering the volume of traffic the junction bears, we hope to get ample time to plan in advance so that commuters suffer minimal inconvenience due to diversions,’’ says additional commissioner of police (traffic) Praveen Sood.
He insists on making traffic management an integral part of the project. Such plans for major infrastructure projects like the Namma Metro need to discussed and decided at least three months in advance. For smaller ones like this, it is enough if they are in place one week before work begins, he says.
GOING THROUGH
Underpass to be built using pre-cast segmental technology (magic box)
Cost: Rs 350 lakh
Dimensions and structural details: Vehicular underpass with two vents, each measuring 6 m x 4.5 m (inner side)
Timeline: Three-four days to lay pre-cast segments of the underpass and six months as per tender agreement