BENGALURU: Amid the concern raised by environmentalists and opposition BJP and JDS on the impact of tunnel road on Hebbal Lake and 1,000-plus trees on the tank bed and surroundings, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is all set to begin work on the 2.28-km short tunnel from Hebbal-Esteem Mall to Baptist Hospital/GKVK Veterinary Campus. Also, the elevated corridor project of 1.78 km from the UAS Staff Quarters/Veterinary College to Mekhri Circle will start soon.
BDA officials, pointing to an IIT Bombay study, said the elevated corridor and underpass (short tunnel) are complementary interventions that can function together as part of the overall network to ease traffic.
“The traffic assessment has considered the impact of the proposed tunnel on the existing road network, including the approach roads and adjoining junctions. The objective is to improve traffic through the existing bottleneck at Hebbal Junction and ensure smooth integration with the surrounding road network. The tunnel is being planned with appropriate approach-road geometry, lane channelisation, junction management, traffic regulation and other traffic-management measures,” said a senior BDA engineer.
The project will help as the passenger car unit from the KIA side to Vidhana Soudha should be 0.5% during peak hours, but it has exceeded 2.85%. In the coming days, it will only worsen, he added.
On the damage to Hebbal Lake, BDA said the tunnel is nowhere near the water body, and only 500 metre of the tank bed would be used for utilities and other purposes. It will be restored after a year. “We will also instal piezometers on the tank bed to monitor water levels underground. BDA will also deploy 16 5 HP motors to pump out water in case water enters the tunnel area,” an official said.