BENGALURU: In a major relief for public, particularly students of numerous institutions, who risk their lives to reach or leave the Challaghatta Metro station, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has decided to build a bridge to connect both sides of the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway. To speed up the work, the same contractor readying the Challaghatta depot has been asked to construct it too.
The terminal station on the Purple Line was opened on October 9 last year, and the average daily footfalls hover around 10,000.
“The bridge is being built at a cost of Rs 2.22 crore and will be operational by the end of September. It will have stairs and lifts. The contractor RITES PMPL has begun the preliminary work on it,” said a senior Metro official.
With the Rajarajeshwari Medical College, ACS College of Engineering, Rajarajeshwari Dental College, SDM Institute of Ayurveda and Hospital and ICFAI Business School present in the vicinity, the station is usually bustling with people in the mornings and evenings.
Director of Projects and Planning, BMRCL, D Radhakrishna Reddy said, “We had submitted our proposal to the NHAI recently and have received their in-principle approval for the same. Since the flyover is located here, there could be some technical issues. We will be building the bridge 100 metres away from the entrance of the Metro station. It will be built below the flyover only.”
Readying any structure on the National Highway is the job of the National Highways Authority of India but we are doing it in the interest of public safety, he added.
Elaborating on the technical aspects, another official said, “A minimum height of 5.5 metres should be maintained between the flyover and the new structure. Maintaining this distance above the flyover is impossible, which is why we are taking it below it. The bridge will be built to according to the standard bridge dimensions, a height of 2.1 metres.”
Besides, BMRCL will also be building a footpath for 100 metres to connect the bridge on the side where the Metro station is located. “The landing on the other side is in front of the emergency department of the RR Medical College. They have agreed to give land to build it here,” he said.
Bannerghatta Rd to be closed from Friday
Bengaluru: The partial closure of the Bannerghatta Main Road from MICO signal upto Anepalya junction for a period of one year would begin only from Friday (April 5), said a senior traffic official. BMRCL had earlier announced on March 30 that the closure would happen from April 1 due to works to be undertaken in connection with Lakkasandra Metro station. Sources stated that traffic cops did not want major issues on the busy road on a peak day like Monday and hence have decided to implement it from Friday. The traffic official said, “We have given permission for the closure. Notification for road closure and diversions will be issued shortly. Then work would start.”