The road to follow

The road to follow
Vittal Mallya Road, which was in a bad state for two years due to non-stop construction work, will regain its beauty and more by April
DEEPTHI M R


Business tycoon Vijay Mallya, who runs a high-profile airline and owns an F1 team, is getting the road in front of his house spruced up!
We are talking about the stretch between Lavelle Road and Café Coffee Day Square (former Tiffanys’ Circle) on Vittal Mallya Road, which till recently was the epitome of Bangalore’s pathetic infrastructure. The road, which is home to several high-profile businesspersons, including Captain Gopinath of Air Deccan fame, and the parking point for top-notch luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, for the last two years resembled a patchwork of potholes in summer and a cesspool of slush during the monsoon due to non-stop construction work.
But now, the profile of the road is changing for the better. It is being concretized and beautified. Work is expected to be completed by April. But, the most interesting aspect is that the road has been designed in such a way that there will be no need to dig it up to lay underground cables or water pipes.
“It will be a world-class road,” said an engineer who was monitoring the concretization work.
The project is being executed by the Prestige Group at a cost of over Rs 7 crore. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, IIrfan Razaq, founder, Prestige Group, said, “The project started five months ago after the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) gave us all the necessary permissions. We have designed the road in such a way that it should last as long as 25 years even with heavy traffic and serve as an inspiration to others.”
FEATURES OF THE ROAD
Drainage and water pipes run parallel to the carriageway and not below the road. Ducts have been laid on both sides to carry power and telecom cables (so no need to dig the road). Engineers have used anti-skid technology, which ensures that vehicles don’t lose their grip even during the monsoons.
PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY
The road will have bollard lighting (lamps on short posts) and pavements of granite slabs. “The road will be separated with walkway pillars and, which in this case, we have made a bit stylish. The walkway will be made completely of granite, which will last very long,” Razaq said.
The problem of people crossing the road bringing traffic to a halt will be addressed. “This is a major problem in Bangalore. We see a lot of people struggling to cross busy roads. Hence, we have designed two road crossing zones for pedestrians,” he said.
SPECIAL STREET LIGHTS
The road will be lit up with imported lights. “Street lights will be imported from Germany. They are expected to last much longer than the ones we have in the city,” he said.
NO DIGGING FOR 25 YEARS
To ensure that the road is not dug up for another 25 years, the project’s chief engineer Gopal said, “We have provided separate ducts for various government departments so that they can operate independently without digging up the road.”
“Our aim is to make a model road. Part of the project cost is being borne by the UB Group. We are planning something similar for St Marks Road, but it is still just a plan,” Razaq said.
Reconstruction of Vittal Mallya Road
Distance: 1.5 km From: Lavelle Road Junction to Café Coffee Day Square Cost: over Rs 7 crore Work started: October 2009 Work to end: April 2010