Flyover ready, but haste mars ground reality

Flyover ready, but haste mars ground reality

Sumanahalli flyover along with six-lane outer ring road connecting Mysore Road and Magadi Road will cut commuters' travel time from 45 minutes to 12 minutes

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



A day before the code of conduct comes into force for civic polls, Sumanahalli flyover on Magadi Road was opened in a hurry on Thursday.
The six-lane wide Sumanahalli flyover along with six-lane outer ring road connecting Mysore Road and Magadi road will cut commuters' travel time from 45 minutes to 12 minutes from Tumkur Road to Mysore Road.
It will also save them a travel time of 13km via Kengeri by plying on the 546-metre flyover and 4.82km ring road. Earlier, commuters travelled 18.1km to reach Mysore Road from Tumkur Road. The two projects are a part of the proposal to make ORR signal free ensuring seamless connectivity.
Chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and transport minister R Ashok inaugurated the structure even though the service roads and connecting roads are still not in good shape. Confusion marked the opening as many commuters were unaware where the bridge was leading them towards.
Before its opening, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) should have completed work on the service road and cleared the construction debris lying below the flyover, commuters said. Many are surprised that the pillars and rods erected during construction still remain there.
The flyover work, which started on December 27 2007, was scheduled to be completed six months back.
``The government seems to be in a hurry to open the flyover. So they ignored the roads and the debris piled up below the structure,'' said Shantala, a commuter.
``There was traffic jam after the opening. The work has been done in a hurry. The BDA should have lighted up the road below for smooth vehicular movement, especially of trucks at night,'' Vivek Kumar, an angry commuter, said.
"Everything has been completed except the service roads. Tenders have been called for completing work on the service roads and the road next to Vrushabhavathi valley leading to Mysore Road ," said BDA commissioner Siddhaiah.