BENGALURU:The stretch of Dr BR Ambedkar Veedhi in front of the Vidhana Soudha which had been closed for Namma Metro work is all set to be opened to traffic on Tuesday after 4.5 years.
“We are targeting September 1 (Tuesday) and I am cent per cent sure of opening it on that day,” Pradeep Singh Kharola, managing director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), said.
“Cleaning work is being done and we are all set to declare it open. Unless there is some heavy downpour or a major calamity, the opening will happen,” he added in a jocular vein.
Finishing touches like cleaning the road and removing of debris from footpaths were carried out during the weekend.
The 400-mt stretch between Gate No. 4 of Vidhana Soudha and Gopala Gowda Circle (KR Circle towards Raj Bhavan) has a width of 9 mt. It was shut down in 2011 to carry out work in the Vidhana Soudha underground Metro station.
Early this month, one portion of the road, from Raj Bhavan towards KR Circle, was opened to traffic.
Traffic from KR Circle is presently being diverted via a 7-mt road created in front of the Vidhana Soudha. This land would be handed back to the Vidhana Soudha once the portion of Ambedkar Veedhi is opened, said a top official.
“The road to be declared open is 9 mt wide, an increase of 2 mt from the road presently being used, which will ease traffic,” he added.
Beautification of the road, including creation of a lawn, will be carried out by a contractor after the road is declared open, the official said.
Ease Traffic Flow
Cubbon Park Police (Traffic) Inspector Pratap Reddy said once the road is opened, there will be free flow of traffic from KR Circle to the General Post Office (GPO). “Right now, there is no major congestion, but traffic flow will definitely ease.”
While officials could not specify the exact cost involved in restoration of Ambedkar Veedhi, they said it was incorporated in the East-West Corridor project costing `995.20 crore. This comprises the four Metro underground stations of Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Road, City Railway Station and Central College and the tunnels connecting them.
On the reasons for delay in opening the roads, an official said intermittent rain played a bit of havoc since Namma Metro was keen on concretesing the road instead of asphalting it.
“Concrete roads develop cracks during rains and the entire stretch has to be replaced, whereas in case of asphalted roads, a new layer of asphalt could be laid over.”
The hard rock surfaces in areas surrounding the Vidhana Soudha also created delays when boring machines had to drill through them, he added.