BENGALURU: Work on the 17.5-km signal-free corridor on Old Airport Road, which had come to a standstill, is now set to restart following last week’s Cabinet nod for the revised project cost. The proposal for approval of the additional Rs 14 crore in project cost had been submitted to the state government two years ago. Work is set to re-start this week, said top BBMP officials.
The Rs 135-crore project, which connects the ASC Centre with Hope Farm Junction via three underpasses, has missed numerous deadlines. The underpasses at Kundanahalli, Suranjan Das Junction and Wind Tunnel Junction encountered different set of issues.
Presently, the Suranjan Das underpass, where work stopped nearly four months ago, is in a waterlogged state for the last three days due to the recent heavy rain. “We will start work as soon as we receive the communication from the government. However, it remains to be seen if the State has okayed the same contractor -- RNS Infrastructure Pvt Ltd -- for the additional cost too. If not, then we have to call for tenders again and the project will get further delayed,” said a top BBMP official.
M Lokesh, Chief Engineer, Projects (Central), BBMP, explained that they were looking at completing the Kundanahalli underpass within 15 days while the one at Suranjan Das Junction could take three months from the re-commencement. “While Kundanahalli is almost over, two ramps need to be built at Suranjan Das, one in the direction from Domlur to Marathahalli and another in the reverse. The Central Box comprising pre-cast elements needs to be erected at this underpass which will connect HAL area with Marathahalli,” he told TNIE.
About Kundanahalli, another official said 200 sqmt land covering four properties were yet to be acquired for a service road and a stretch of footpath. “The owners are demanding compensation for the portion of their property, but they are supposed to give them free of cost to the BBMP. So, there is a bit of a stalemate there,” he explained.
The Wind Tunnel Junction underpass work has stopped nearly two years ago due to land issues with the Defence and this could take more time. “We are exploring another option of completely stopping traffic here for three months after consent from traffic police. But this needs to be assessed carefully as there is no other alternative road for the public.”
On the reasons for the jacked-up cost, the official said massive KPTCL cables (220KVA) of 450 mm diameter had to be shifted and OFC cables too had to be relocated among others.