The four-lane Albert Victor Road between Hardinge Circle and Sri Chamarajendra Circle (New Statue Circle) in the Core Heritage Zone, the surface of which has been topped with concrete , will be thrown open for traffic this week as the work is almost done.
In a span of one-and-a-half months, the road had been reconstructed using concrete to ensure longer lifespan and lower maintenance of the thoroughfare. This is the first stretch of asphalted road converted into a concrete road.
The distance between Hardinge Circle and New Statue Circle is around 370 meters.
A 7.65-km long road in the heart of the city had been identified for laying concrete. The road from Ramaswamy Circle to Bannimantap, covering Sanskrit Pathashala Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, Hardinge Circle, Statue Circle, K.R. Circle, Ayurveda College Circle as well as Bannimantap had been notified for topping with concrete.
Work has been taken up now between Basaveshwara Circle and Ramaswamy Circle.
The project is estimated to cost about Rs. 50 crore and the funds had been sanctioned under the Rs. 100 crore approved to the city by the government under the Heritage City Development Programme (HCDP). The work had been entrusted to the PWD. The PWD had put off work between New Statue Circle via K.R. Circle to Bannimantap, the Dasara procession route, until the festivities get over on the request from the Forest Department to facilitate smooth training of Dasara elephants.
To avoid further delay in completing the concrete road project, whose original plan was to complete before Dasara, the PWD launched work on one lane of Chamaraja Double Road between Basaveshwara Circle and Ramaswamy Circle. One way traffic had been allowed on the single lane since closure of both lanes of the road, a key link, would cause inconvenience to commuters.
Assistant Executive Engineer, PWD, Kumaraswamy told The Hindu that rain held back the remaining work on Albert Victor Road.
Two months
About 25 cm of concrete had been laid on the road stretch, he said, adding that the entire concrete road work on 7.65 km would be done in two months since latest technology on laying concrete is being used to restructure the road.
The 370 meter-long road is the first stretch in the Core Heritage Zone to be developed into a concrete road
