BENGALURU: “We have thought about building a double decker flyover running about 44km in the city. If we had thought about this earlier, we could have done a double decker project for about 200km along the 336km Metro project. However, it is not too late now,” Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Friday.
The DCM took to the city’s roads to either inaugurate or lay the foundation stone for five development works. He began by flagging off the trial operation of the rail-cum-road flyover between RV Road and Central Silk Board near HSR Layout ramp entrance.
The 5.12km signal-free corridor cost Rs 499crore. He then proceeded to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a skywalk at Banashankari Junction, which is expected to improve both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. According to Shivakumar, the skywalk has been taken into consideration after Leader of Opposition R Ashoka and MP Tejaswi Surya proposed it.
The inauguration of a commercial complex and multi-storey car park at Gandhi Bazaar was next. The six-storey commercial complex with space for 51 shops, was constructed at a cost of Rs 22 crore. Following this, a car park complex on the ground floor of KR Market building was inaugurated. The complex sprawls across 10,000sqm, and can accommodate 200 cars and 400 two-wheelers.
“Police should ensure vehicles are not parked by the roadside for a distance of 1km from here, as it is leading to traffic congestion. People should use the building that was built at a huge cost for the people. We are making new rules to encourage private companies in terms of vehicle parking,” Shivakumar said.The last stop was MG Road Metro Station. The station’s pillars have been set up with dynamic lighting in a bid to beautify them, which cost Rs 3.08crore.
Flyover at Banashankari junction
On Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s suggestion to build a flyover along with a skywalk at Banashankari junction to ease traffic, DCM DK Shivakumar has written to BMRCL and Chief Commissioner of Greater Bengaluru Authority to explore the options. An official said a Rs 50-crore swanky skywalk is proposed at the junction. Taking the project further, a 1.5km flyover has been suggested, covering the stretch from JSS Circle, Yediyur Maternity Hospital and Deepak Nursing Home up to Banashankari temple.
