Maharani’s College underpass opens today

Maharani’s College underpass opens today
The projects executed near Maharani College as well as at KR Circle will make the junctions signal-free and are expected to make the traffic flow smooth
ATUL CHATURVEDI


After a long wait, commuters using Palace Road will get some breathing space. Chief Minister Yeddyurappa will open two underpasses — one near Maharani’s College and the other near KR Circle — on Sunday evening.
The underpasses have been constructed as part of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) initiative to make the junction near the college as well as the KR Circle signal free. It was a dream project for BBMP, as the stretch used to witness heavy traffic jams during peak hours. “We want the citizens to enjoy their rides on
the city roads, said BBMP commissioner S Subramanya.
SMOOTH DRIVE
The underpass constructed near Maharani’s College will facilitate smooth flow of traffic on Palace Road as well as Seshadri Road while the one at KR Circle will allow the traffic coming from the Vidhana Soudha to move towards Hudson Circle without having to wait for signal.
BBMP officials said the construction of the underpass near Maharani’s College cost the exchequer Rs 4.5 crore. Besides constructing the underpass using pre-cast 12-metre-wide ‘Magic Boxes’, the civic organisation has also widened the stretch up to KR Circle.
“Though we did not have an official deadline to complete the project, we decided to finish the work in three months succeeded in it. There was a little delay due to the shifting of utilities by Bescom and cabling by BSNL,” said Chikkarayappa, chief engineer.
Sources, however, said the government had approved the project in October 2008 and was scheduled to be completed in six months.
PAT ON THE BACK
“The BBMP deserves a pat on its back for making the stretch signal-free. Earlier it used to take me nearly half-an-hour to reach my office, but now I can reach in just five minutes,” said an official at the office of the Lok Ayukta.
The other underpass has been constructed along the KR Circle, across the road leading to Cubbon Park. It connects Ambedkar Veedhi with Nrupatunga Road and makes the junction signal-free.
Chikkarayappa said, “Vehicle plying from Vidhana Soudha to Nruptunga Road will go through this underpass while those coming from Maharani’s College side will negotiate the circle. The cost of the project was Rs 2.5 crore.”