Hebbal flyover loop to be ready by year-end

After missing its April deadline to complete construction of an additional one-km loop for the Hebbal flyover, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has set a December 2018 deadline.

“The contractor has taken up construction of the piers. The service road has been temporarily closed and traffic has been diverted to carry out the construction. We are hoping that construction of the loop, which will have two lanes, will be completed in six months,” said a BDA official.

The down ramp of the loop will end near Baptist Hospital and access will be given to both the service and main roads. “Unlike other projects, we are not acquiring any private property. Three trees have been axed to build the additional loop,” the official added.

As construction picks up pace, vehicular movement at the junction, especially on the service road towards the city, will be hit.

“A couple of days ago, the road was closed to carry out the work. The service road is used by motorists to reach R.T. Nagar or Ganganagar. No one really knows how much time it will take to complete the project,” said Vijay P., a motorist who uses the flyover regularly.

The loop will be built along a one-kilometre stretch with 43 piers. It will traverse over the existing flyover lane and will be built at a height of more than 16 metres. The BDA is spending Rs. 88 crore on the project, which includes construction of an underpass from Tumakuru Road to the K.R. Puram side. The BDA is yet to get clearance for the underpass, as it is likely to fall within the 75-metre buffer zone of Hebbal lake.

Traffic police are sceptical about whether the two-lane loop will de-congest traffic in the area. “Hebbal junction is one of the worst traffic gridlocks in the city. The additional loop will help traffic coming from the airport side but congestion will shift to Mehkri Circle. There was a proposal to widen roads near Palace Ground, but it remains on paper,” said a senior traffic officer.

At present, the Hebbal flyover has only two lanes for traffic coming from the Kempegowda International Airport. In the peak hours, motorists have a harrowing time.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had constructed a service road after Esteem Mall for vehicles moving towards K.R. Puram. Though NHAI wants to build a service road on the road adjacent to Hebbal lake, the proposal has hit a snag because of environment regulations.