Kundalahalli gate may see smooth traffic in a year
BENGALURU: One of the most notorious traffic junctions on the IT corridor could see some semblance of normalcy in a year. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started widening a portion of Varthur main road in order to build an underpass at the Kundalahalli Gate junction. The project, proposed almost a decade ago, was stuck due to want of land.
“As no property owner was willing to accept the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) scheme, the BBMP Council decided to give away cash compensation. In all, around 20 private plots were acquired in March. We are now widening the road. The civil work will begin in a month,” said KT Nagaraj, BBMP’s chief engineer (project-central).
On both sides of the busy stretch, the BBMP has already demolished buildings and the work related to road-widening has begun. “We need a month to widen the road. Another six months to build the underpass. The contractor has started preparing pre-cast concrete boxes, which will be later taken to the spot for building the underpass. We will complete the work without causing much inconvenience,” a BBMP official said. ?24 crore was spent to acquire the properties, said the official.
The bidirectional four-lane underpass is estimated to cost around ?20 crore. “Once the project is ready, it will be signal-free travel between Marathahalli and the Hope Farm junction,” the official added.
A policewoman manning traffic at the Kundalahalli Gate junction said the underpass was much required as it would ensure smooth movement of vehicles. “When the work starts, it will be a mess,” she said.
Shyam K, who runs an electrical shop near the junction, was happy that the project will finally materialise. “The government laid the foundation stone at least three times in the past five years. As the work on widening the road has begun, I am hopeful that the project will take off now,” he said.
Kishan Kumar, a resident of the area, wondered if the underpass will make any difference to the traffic situation. “The time saved at the junction here will be wasted at the next signal. The traffic is bad at Siddapura signal and at Marathahalli as well,” he pointed out. “Passing through every traffic intersection on the Old Airport Road takes 10-15 minutes each. Either all the junctions need underpasses or the metro,” Kumar said.
“As no property owner was willing to accept the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) scheme, the BBMP Council decided to give away cash compensation. In all, around 20 private plots were acquired in March. We are now widening the road. The civil work will begin in a month,” said KT Nagaraj, BBMP’s chief engineer (project-central).
On both sides of the busy stretch, the BBMP has already demolished buildings and the work related to road-widening has begun. “We need a month to widen the road. Another six months to build the underpass. The contractor has started preparing pre-cast concrete boxes, which will be later taken to the spot for building the underpass. We will complete the work without causing much inconvenience,” a BBMP official said. ?24 crore was spent to acquire the properties, said the official.
The bidirectional four-lane underpass is estimated to cost around ?20 crore. “Once the project is ready, it will be signal-free travel between Marathahalli and the Hope Farm junction,” the official added.
A policewoman manning traffic at the Kundalahalli Gate junction said the underpass was much required as it would ensure smooth movement of vehicles. “When the work starts, it will be a mess,” she said.
Shyam K, who runs an electrical shop near the junction, was happy that the project will finally materialise. “The government laid the foundation stone at least three times in the past five years. As the work on widening the road has begun, I am hopeful that the project will take off now,” he said.
Kishan Kumar, a resident of the area, wondered if the underpass will make any difference to the traffic situation. “The time saved at the junction here will be wasted at the next signal. The traffic is bad at Siddapura signal and at Marathahalli as well,” he pointed out. “Passing through every traffic intersection on the Old Airport Road takes 10-15 minutes each. Either all the junctions need underpasses or the metro,” Kumar said.