BENGALURU: A big relief is in store for the public when the Bangalore Development Authority’s toll-free Major Arterial Road (MAR) which slices through the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout gets completed as it will reduce the travel time between South and West Bengaluru from 60 minutes to just 10 minutes. A major step towards this has just been taken as the Forest department has agreed to allow the road to pass through the Sulikere Forest.
The ten-lane road running into 100 metres width will connect Mysuru Road to Magadi Road. It will have six lanes, three in each direction and four service lanes. It is presently signal free, but they would get installed in the future.
A top official told BDA that they would be constructing 10.3 km out of the 10.77 km MAR road, while the rest would be done by the Bengaluru Metro near its Challaghatta depot.
“We have completed 95% of the road. However, a few patches in between and small patch of land we require from the Forest department, for constructing 180 metres of the road has been held up. This is located 4 km from the Mysuru Road end.” This is on the verge of being handed over.
Another BDA official explained that the Forest department had earlier refused to give permission for the road to pass through its area stating that it would divide 90 percent of the forest on one side with ten percent on the other side.
“This held back our completion of the road for long. We have now identified land built by the PWD long ago which figures in the portion where the 90% portion lies. We will be building our road in such a way that it connects with the existing road. We have explained our plan to the Forest department and they are okay with the plan,” he said.
A new proposal has now been submitted to the Forest department. “We hope to complete the road at the earliest as soon as we get the written consent from the Forest department,” another official said.