The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has again stalled the construction work of adding loops to the Hebbal flyover. In January, the authority resumed the construction of adding lanes to the existing flyover for the benefit of motorists coming from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) side and entering the city.
The project was initially proposed in 2015 to add additional lanes to the main lanes of the flyover, building a unidirectional underpass for traffic coming from Tumakuru Road and moving towards K.R. Puram side. The estimated project cost was ₹74 crore. After starting the construction work, the BDA set 2018 as the deadline to complete the work. However, the agency failed to execute the project before the deadline.
In 2019, the work was stalled after the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) raised objections over the construction of loops at level 2, citing that the project was coming in the way of the future expansion of Namma Metro on Outer Ring Road (from Kempapura to J.P. Nagar).
RITES study
Meanwhile, the State government roped in RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) to carry out a study on how to decongest the busy junction and plan for the future integration of various modes of transport. The RITES came out with a ₹250 crore worth project to decongest one of the major traffic bottlenecks in the city by building additional flyovers and others. Instead of implementing the RITES suggestions, the BDA took a decision to resume the work that was stalled in 2019.
In January, the contractor started construction on a service road near the Hebbal bus stop. To facilitate the work, the road was barricaded, and traffic was diverted by the traffic police. A bus stop located near the subway was also shifted ahead. Now, the BDA has again suspended the work citing that third-party clearance for the design of adding an additional loop is pending.
Clearance awaited
An official of the BDA said, “The work has been temporarily stalled till we get the clearance on the design from a third party. When the project was proposed, there were plans to build additional two lanes. Now there are modifications in the design. From the Esteem Mall side, the additional loop starts with two lanes, and after the railway track, there is a plan to build three lanes towards Baptist Hospital. Once the design gets clearance, the contractor will resume the construction works.”
When asked about what would happen to the giant pillar constructed as per the previous plans, the officials said, “The alignment of the project is changed now. Earlier, it was proposed to build the loops at level two, but we are constructing them at level one parallel to the existing lanes. These pillars will be razed down eventually.”
The BDA has already spent close to ₹ 25 crore for building the giant pillar inside the mini forest located near the Hebbal flyover.
