During an inspection on Wednesday, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Administrator Gaurav Gupta instructed civic officials to complete construction of underpasses for the signal-free corridor on Old Airport Road by September 2021.
The BBMP had taken up construction of underpasses at Wind Tunnel, Suranjan Das and Kundalahalli junctions as part of the project as early as 2019. However, progress has been slow, much to the chagrin of thousands of commuters using that stretch.
At the Wind Tunnel junction, the land belonging to National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had already been acquired for the underpass. The work on the retaining wall on one side of the underpass is complete. Officials stated that once the traffic police give permission for diversions, work on the retaining wall on the other side could be taken up and completed in a few months.
Reviewing the retaining walls already completed at Kundalahalli junction, the Administrator sought more details on the project and reasons for the delay.
Civic officials attributed it to the acquisition process of 27 properties for the service road. With the necessary permission now in place, Mr. Gupta directed officials to complete the acquisition process within 10 days and complete the underpass by June 2021.
