BENGALURU: The underpass at Marathahalli, which was scheduled to be completed by December-end and opened for vehicles by January 1, is set to be deferred by another 10 to 15 days.
The 24-m underpass is set to ease traffic near Marathahalli, Munekolala, Kundalahalli and Old Airport Road once it is opened, but with land owners not agreeing to Transferable Development Rights (TDR) initially, the project will now take another 10 to 15 days, and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) now plans to open it during Sankranti.
Speaking to TNIE, Jayashankar Reddy, executive engineer for road infrastructure, BBMP, Mahadevapura Zone, attributed the delay to confusion over TDR. “The project is 85 per cent complete. Push boxes have been installed and it may take another 15 days. BWSSB is going to undertake the work of its main water pipe at the service road. Once it is completed, the road will be tarred and levelled, and only then, the BBMP officially can declare it as complete,” said Reddy.
Although MLA Aravind Limbavali has brokered an agreement between the landowners and the Palike, officials said that the process of TDR took time due to procedural delays. The project will be executed at a cost of Rs 6 crore. One side of the carriageway was blocked for seven days from December 6.
When the work was done, traffic was allowed, but it took another seven days to complete the next carriageway. Now, the service road work is delaying the project, leading to traffic jams at the junction near Marathahalli.