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The Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) on Tuesday submitted a proposal to Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar to create additional lanes on the Hebbal flyover from the airport towards the city and also from the city towards the airport, to ease traffic congestion. Mr. Shivakumar inspected traffic bottleneck points at Hebbal and K.R. Puram.
According to sources, the BDA has also proposed to include another loop on the flyover towards K.R. Puram, from the city. The proposal has also considered the two metro lines – K.R. Pura to airport and K.R. Pura to Yeshwanthpur – and has designed the plan accordingly.
“Out of many options available to ease the junction, we have taken up the one which is doable quickly. We have suggested adding lanes and loops and underpasses and also the removal of traffic signals. These things would not require a lot of construction work or acquisition of extra land. This solution will hold strong for at least next 10 years. By then, multiple comprehensive solutions can be worked across the city to decongest the airport way,” said Kumar Naik, Commissioner, BDA.
After inspecting the Hebbal flyover, the Minister held a meeting under the Hebbal flyover where National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, including regional officer Vivek Jaiswal, briefed him about their proposal to decongest Hebbal. The NHAI’s proposal included a six-lane elevated corridor along the flyover, a cable car line across Hebbal lake and a view point along with other elements.
Mr. Shivakumar, during his inspection, mulled over what measures can be taken to tackle the increasing traffic density by 2047. With a long-term vision for the next 25 years, the Minister also discussed a long-distance flyover along with the short-distance flyover. One of the proposals also suggested a 6.3-kilometre twin underpass on Outer Ring Road.
However, Mr. Shivakumar said that he would soon chair a meeting with the citizens of Bengaluru and another with experts who have a long-term vision for the city and make decisions about decongestion within 10–15 days.
When asked if the construction work at Hebbal would exacerbate traffic issues, he said, “As of now, metro work is going on only in the night. We have been in discussion with the police to enable the work to be done faster. We will not stop traffic movement on the flyover for even a second. The work will happen in such a way that there will not be any traffic congestion on or below the flyover, even when metro work happens.”
The Minister also clarified that there were no hurdles or opposition from any department, including Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for the widening of Hebbal flyover.
