BENGALURU: The elevated flyover along Tumakuru Road remains closed to heavy vehicles for more than six months now but National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seems to be in no hurry to reopen the crucial 4km corridor that links the city to at least 20 other districts of the state.
On Wednesday, bureaucrats from different agencies visited Goraguntepalya Junction, from where the flyover starts, to look at ways to decongest traffic. The team had opined that allowing heavy vehicles on Peenya flyover, which is now open to light motor vehicles (LMVs), will decongest the junction and its neighbourhood. The flyover, stretching from Goraguntepalya to Parle toll plaza and maintained by NHAI, was closed to all vehicles on December 25, 2021, after pre-stressed cables developed cracks at two pillars. The impact was immediately seen on the road below with motorists taking 2-3 hours to cover the 4km distance.
After some initial work, the flyover was opened to LMVs. NHAI and IISc jointly inspected the flyover. A team of scientists from IISc, which carried out a safety audit of the flyover, has said heavy vehicles can be allowed on the flyover.
‘Vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes could be allowed to ply’
Prof JM Chandra Kishen from IISc and head of the audit team said they have arrived at an opinion that heavy vehicles like buses and goods trucks weighing up to 20 tonnes could be allowed on the flyover.
“We completed the required load tests by April-end. According to our latest findings, heavy vehicles like buses and goods trucks can use the flyover. However, trucks should not be overloaded and should be restricted to 20 tonnes. Also, multi-axle vehicles carrying boulders should not be allowed. The question is will this load ceiling be adhered to? What we hear is that most trucks carry 30% more goods than permitted. In such cases, they will surely damage the flyover,” he explained.
Prof Chandra said they had a meeting with experts and officials of NHAI and recommended that goods trucks and buses could be allowed to ply. “We are yet to get a reply from them,” he said.
