Years after the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) shelved the project of constructing a steel flyover between Basaveshwara Circle (Chalukya Circle) and Hebbal, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is now planning to carry out a feasibility study to construct a flyover on Ballari Road.
The BBMP officials said that in a recent high-level meeting with various department officials, the civic body proposed the plan to construct a flyover to decongest the busy stretch that links central business district with the northern parts of the city and Kempegowda International Airport.
“A private agency will be roped in to prepare a comprehensive report. The stretch is known for traffic snarls for years. To decongest the road, a flyover has been proposed. Thousands of people travelling to the airport will be benefited a lot,” a senior BBMP official said.
Steel or concrete?
Earlier in 2016, the BDA had planned to construct a steel flyover on a stretch of 8 km from Chalukya Circle to Esteem Mall. However, the project was shelved after public backlash and strong opposition from the BJP. The officials of the BBMP say that no decision has been taken yet on whether the proposed flyover would be steel or concrete. “The feasibility report will throw light on these issues,” said an official. The stretch has many junctions, railway-over-bridge near Windsor Circe, bridges near CBI, veterinary colleges, underpass at Mehkri Circle, and others. According to BBMP, the feasibility report is likely to be ready in another two weeks.
On the other hand, the BDA has already proposed to link additional lanes to the existing Hebbal Flyover for the benefit of the motorists coming from airport side and entering the city. It has invited tender for completion of pending works of adding two lanes which was stalled in 2019, constructing an underpass and building a new flyover in the easter part of the flyover.
Earlier plan
Earlier, the BDA plans for the steel flyover was to have three flyover ramps and two underpasses. At Chalukya Circle, ramps will emerge from the Raj Bhavan side, from Race Course Road and Palace Road. One underpass will be built for traffic between Raj Bhavan Road and Race Course Road and another between Millers Road and Palace Road.
The BDA steel flyover project had drawn a lot of flak for its environmental impact at that time when the Congress-led government had proposed it. The residents and activists had opposed the decision for cutting down around 812 trees which were in the way of the proposed steel flyover. The BJP, which was in the opposition, was a vocal opponent of the project and had criticised the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.
