BENGALURU: In a move that could offer a big relief to motorists heading from the Kempegowda International Airport towards the city, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has decided to provide a direct link between the new lane being built on the Baptist Hospital Road with the existing Tumakuru loop.
To facilitate this, two or three spans en route would be demolished and reconstructed with the width required, said a BDA source.
Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday approved the proposal after inspecting the Hebbal flyover project with BDA officials.
“The BDA had been looking at multiple options to make traffic on Hebbal flyover smooth for public and this option has been finalised,” the source said. “We are looking at completing this linkage by August this year,” he added.
Another official said that the BDA was well on target to meet the 100-day deadline set by the Chief Secretary to complete its revamp of the K R Pura loop of the Hebbal flyover.
“The ramp being built on the Baptist Hospital side needs to be integrated with the partially demolished ramp for vehicles coming from K R Pura and going towards Mekhri Circle. April 30 is the deadline fixed by the Chief Secretary for it and we are confident of meeting it. More workers have been put on the job and a set of steel girder fabrication teams too have been roped in,” said an official.
The BDA has also roped in a fabricator approved by the Railway Board's Rail Design and Standards Organisation for the job.
Another challenging task in connection with the flyover project is the erection if a steel girder over the existing railway track at Hebbal by mid-March.
The planning for the girder erection will be carried out in consultation with South Western Railway and the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the official said.
As per the comprehensive plan prepared for Hebbal Junction, the State government must construct an underpass at the junction and a dedicated two-lane flyover from K.R. Pura to the airport. However, no tenders have been invited so far by either the BBMP or the BDA to execute this work.
It is believed that after the completion of the K.R. Pura ramp, traffic at Mekhri Circle and Cauvery Theatre Junction may increase.
A frequent commuter on this route said, "The BBMP should start focusing on these areas well in advance."