GONE IN 10 MINS

GONE IN 10 MINS
HOSUR EXPRESSWAY WILL HELP SAVE PRECIOUS TIME OF COMMUTERS, IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: If everything goes well, Bangalore Metro may even chug along till Attibele. Union minister for road transport and highways Kamal Nath, after inaugurating the Silk Board Junction-Electronic City elevated expressway on Friday, replied positively to a request made by Bangalore South MP H N Ananth Kumar.
“I will raise the issue with the Prime Minister and check the feasibility of incorporating it in the second phase of the Metro project,” Kamal Nath said. “The expressway is a pride of India, and Bangalore deserved it,” he asserted. According to him, Bangalore was the city that placed India on the global map. “Even youngsters at my home constituency dream of getting a job here.”
TWO MAJOR PROJECTS
Bangalore will get two major projects. “These are an elevated road from Hebbal flyover to the airport and a connecting road for Nelamangala, Nandi and Doddaballapur,” he said.
On a request from Union minister of state for railways K H Muniyappa to develop highways between Electronic City and Devanahalli, and from Devanahalli to Nelamangala as elevated expressways, Kamal Nath said he’ll consider the proposal.
CM’S INVITATION
Chief minister B S Yedyurappa asked Kamal Nath to spend a day in Vidhana Soudha to discuss unresolved issues related to road infrastructure. “I will try to make it for the meeting,” Kamalnath said.
BANGALORE-CHENNAI
EXPRESSWAY
“The proposal for an expressway between Bangalore and Chennai is under the Centre’s consideration. We are finalizing the feasibility report. We have expressway proposals for four to five places,” Kamal Nath explained.
MAYTAS BACK?
For the first time after Satyam Computers collapsed last year, Maytas Infra, the infrastructure division of the promoters of Satyam Computers, came back to the public domain. The company had removed signboards from various projects areas in Bangalore, including the ones taken up for Metro.
On Friday, Maytas name were found in all signboards along the expressway, along with Soma Enterprises Ltd and Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd.
IN OTHER CITIES HYDERABAD EXPRESSWAY — 11.6 km
India’s longest flyover is Hyderabad’s P V Narasimha Rao Elevated Expressway
The 11.6-km-long elevated expressway connects Mehdipatnam and Aramgarh Junction on NH-7, leading to Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad
The four-lane expressway cost Rs 430 crore
Built by Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, it shortens travel time from the airport to the city by 30-40 minutes SEA LINK (MUMBAI) — 5.6 km
Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai, officially called Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is the first phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system
Total length of this cable-stayed link is 5.6 km
Has four lanes and will be expanded to eight
Toll is Rs 50 for one-way and Rs 75 (to and fro)
A Rs 1,600-crore project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation
Reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli from
45-60 minutes to 7-10 minutes
Average daily traffic of 37,000 vehicles First-day rush blocked
them for 45 mins
Vinay Madhav | TNN
Bangalore: By all means, if you are riding at normal speed, well below 60 kmph, you can cross the 9-km-long expressway in 10 minutes. That’s what Ramesh experienced, who was among the first few to ride a twowheeler on the expressway. It was opened to the public on Friday.
But the first-day rush and a bus trapped at the end of the expressway near Silk Board Junction ruined the thrill of enthusiastic drivers.
Those who began their journey towards the city centre after 6.15 pm, and those who wanted to enjoy a drive on the well-lit expressway, were disappointed.
NO TOLL
Since there is no toll collection in the first week, too many vehicles preferred the expressway. Average speed was reduced to 40-45 kmph. People were shocked when they reached the end of the road. A bus got trapped at the end, leading to a traffic pileup, and nothing could be done for the next 45 minutes.
Kaviraj Thampa, a techie working in Electronic City, who ditched his office cab to get a feel of the new facility, was all smiles. “The road divider is made in the right height. Even if a motorist coming from the opposite direction drives with high beam, we won’t be affected. There are parking bays too, and from the top of the road, we see an entirely new Electronic City,” said Thampa.
Rohit, who works with Infosys, was equally excited. “I took an office bus and could not experience the expressway today. But it will help us a lot. Every day, it takes 40 minutes to reach Silk Board Junction. With the new infrastructure, we can save about 20 minutes. We have been waiting for this for a long time,” he added.
For many techies, the inauguration of the expressway — though much delayed — was a dream come true.