BENGALURU: With the proposal for tunnel roads gaining more attention, especially after Maharashtra taking up Mumbai Coast Tunnel Road project, a BMRCL official said Namma Bengaluru can also have a similar project although it has loose earth and hard rock surface.
The official, who worked on the tunnel project of Metro Rail Phase 1, however, stressed the need for a detailed study before taking up the tunnel road project. The project will not have any issues with water pipelines and cables as they have been laid at a depth of not more than three metres, whereas the tunnel road will run below 80 feet.
“When we started work on Phase 1 of the underground Metro tunnel project, we found it hard in a few places due to the presence of rocks. In some places, drilling was easy because of the loose soil. Based on these experiences, we managed well while implementing Phase 2 of the project in places such as City Market, Chickpet and Majestic. Had we not done grouting (cementing the soil and filling the surroundings with hard material) at a few places, the progress in tunnelling work would not have been possible,” said an expert familiar with BMRCL Metro tunnels.
The expert said, “For any civic project, acquiring private property or closing a busy road is a big issue. However, there is little scope for this in projects such as tunnel roads.” Asked if water pipelines, pile foundations of huge buildings and Metro network’s tunnels pose any hurdle while drilling, the official said, “No, not at all.”
Tunnels will be drilled only after a thorough study and survey. The alignment of tunnels will be perfect as they will not have any issues underground, he said. Indian Road Congress Member D Prasad expressed similar views and said the layer study of earth will help in planning the alignment of tunnel roads. “The authorities should take aspects such as tunnel phobia into consideration and design the tunnels accordingly,” he said.