BENGALURU: A flurry of activities is underway since the last two days on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad NH-44, which leads to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), in anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru on November 11.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to open a portion of the road it had closed for an underpass that was never constructed, while the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has been asked to free up a portion of the road it has blocked in connection with a station on its KR Puram-KIA line.
“Our contractor, NCC Limited, has been carrying out work on a stretch of road near the service-lane for the Doddajala Metro station. The NHAI has asked us to reduce the width of the space we have occupied on the road from 7 metres to 5 metres, since they want the road to be wider during the PM’s visit. We have started doing the same from Saturday. The barricades are being pushed inside,” Metro sources told TNIE.
Another source said, “The space occupied by BMRCL was necessary as machinery and other parts had to be housed within the construction space, but until November 11, we have agreed to reduce our working space.”
A senior NHAI source told TNIE that the main road leading to the airport was being overhauled as the PM was arriving. The NHAI had blocked the middle of the road at Sadahalli Junction for years.
“The closed portion will be opened up and a new road will be laid here on priority,” the source added.
Overpass planned
A portion of the road was closed by NHAI at Sadahalli for nearly six years, as we had planned building a vehicular underpass at this spot, in order to decongest the airport road.
“However, it was never built as a series of contractors never carried out the job and repeatedly got back months later, saying costs have shot up. We have recently decided to build an overpass at the spot,”
he added.