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Task force has focus on NH 7

Reshaping of existing roads was in focus as members of the task force constituted to address issues of connectivity to the upcoming international airport in Devanahalli met for the first time, on Thursday.

During the meeting, the task force identified core issues of concern and worked towards formulating short-term and long-term plans to address them, according to sources.

With the proposed 33.5-km elevated rail link still on paper and road projects including the Special State Highway from Outer Ring Road to Devanahalli yet to take off, the focus was brought back on NH 7, that is the only major connecting road. The airport is set to commence operations on March 30, 2008.

The task force comprises senior officials from various government departments and agencies, including the PWD, Infrastructure Development Department, BDA, BBMP, BMRDA and the police, apart from industry leaders.

Sources said the BBMP, represented by Commissioner S Subramanya, detailed short-term plans to make the nearly 40-km ride from the Central Business District to the new airport less tiresome.

BBMP plans
The BBMP is already working on a contingency plan, that covers innovations like readymade underpasses at choke points, in this connection. The first series of underpasses is expected to be ready by January, 2008.

Widening of roads between Vidhana Soudha and Hebbal and creation of more service roads have been brought to the table. The task force will also have streamlining of traffic from the city up to Hebbal as a priority task.

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I would like to see this new technology in action and if it is all that it promises to be. However the traffic lights were the only hope for pedestrians in this city of ours. I wonder how they will manage now. Yesterday, I went to the nehru planetarium with my boys. While I will write a separate post on that, I will focus on the drive from JP nagar to the planetarium and back in the following paragraphs. a. It took about 40 mins in the not so peak hour from my house to cover the 13 odd km to there. Just reaching 4th block from our apartments takes 20 mins!!! b. I observed that there has been no attempt at synchronizing traffic lights along JC Road. I stopped at Minerva, then at Siddaiah road, then at Shivaji,again at Town Hall, again at Unity buildings and one almighty mess at the Hudson church signal with everyone's vehicle pointing in different directions (and this next to Ulsoor Gate station). (For anyone who has been to Madras, check out Mount Road and how well the traffic lights have been synchronized). c. On the way back we wanted to visit the VITM (another write-up will come out on that). Made the bad mistake of coming down Queen's Road. Took the right turn to Kasturba road and realized I had to go down Mallya Road, Sampangi Tank Road and then back. Are our traffic police trying to help the oil companies?? This one-way madness has gone a bit too far! d. The drive back from the Museum - we went on MG Road, Brigade Road and Richmond Road. Traffic was surprising disciplined with lower levels of honking than usual (wonder why). e. Double road - they seem to have done patchwork repairs. Traffic was smooth and we made it from Richmond Town (where we visited my mother-in-law) to JP Nagar 7th Phase in about 35 mins. The Ashoka Pillar road is one smooth drive and there almost never is chaos. Maybe the lane markings do make a difference. The traffic police spoke a lot recently about some improvements to the traffic lights. But really don't know what they have done. Waiting at Vellara junction to take a right turn to Richmond Road - we had a countdown of 180seconds at 3:30 p.m. They need to figure out which corridors to synchronize. And whether morning needs a different pattern vs. evenings. Thanks, Srivathsa

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If this is as miraculous as what BBMP is making it out to be, why not debottleneck critical areas of the ORR and Airport Road as well using this rather than building huge flyovers. I have my scepticism about this, but will keep an open mind till I see this in action. Srivathsa

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Yes, it sounds the perfect panacea..but question remains on the stability part of it. Load variations is another thing..LMV's/Busses could be fine for vehicles moving above the underpass..but what about the loaded trucks with axle weight on the higher side..we will need restrictions for such vehicles(OMR issue?)! The last thing anyone wants is the undepass caving in! As the BDA says, this is a pilot and the same will be replicated around other junctions/roads in Blr. Also pedestrian underpasses are planned this way too!

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Zip To New Airport

** signal-free road between High Grounds police station and Hebbal flyover.
** five underpasses in the stretch.

Infrastructure secretary V P Baligar told TOI: "We will put in place a number of underpasses, which will be built from pre-cast RCC structures, at various bottlenecks to allow free flow of traffic."

The underpasses, each of which will take no more than two days to put up, will come at Windsor Manor junction, BDA junction, Cauvery junction, Sanjay Nagar junction and CBI junction. The estimated cost for each one is between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 1 crore. "It was stated at the meeting that while the underpasses are being constructed, the work will in no way disrupt the traffic flow," said Reguraj, chairman of CII, Karnataka, who was present at the meeting.

The BBMP, which will undertake the construction of these underpasses, will commence work on December 15, and has set a deadline of January 30, 2008.

Closer to the airport, the trumpet interchange that BIAL is working on — one leading from the direction of Hyderbad to the airport and the other leading from the airport towards Bangalore — is proposed to be finished before March 30, 2008, the opening date of the international airport. However, the main trumpet leading from the Bangalore side to the airport and from the airport to the Hyderabad side will only be completed by August 2008.

The public works department has undertaken the task to get six arterial roads leading to the airport ready before February next year. Some of these include SH 104 Bangalore-Nandi Road, Devanahalli to airport via Anneswara village. The NH4 to the airport and NH7 to the airport are also proposed to be improved.

Baligar said the second meeting of the task force will be either on Dec 17 or 18.

GIFT BOX to ease TRAFFIC WOES
Cut it, fit it and shut it. This is BBMP’s new mantra to clear bottlenecks. Cutting down on money, time and traffic hassles, the BBMP is taking refuge in these new-age pre-cast boxes that can be fitted onto roads in no time. For the first time, BBMP has introduced a Malaysian technology, Elements, which is an RCC arch segment box and square box that can be fitted onto the road at a cost of just Rs 1 crore. The first stretch identified for the project is Bellary Road and work is proceeding in three casting yards — Okalipuram, Peenya and Hebbal — using machinery from Malaysia and Germany. While the cost of precast blocks is Rs 60 lakh, fixing it, constructing the ramp and road will cost Rs 40 lakh. BBMP has identified 26 bottlenecks for the project.

TECHNOLOGY
Excavating the earth takes a day. Laying concrete base will take another two. Next will be lowering the precast structure, which will take two days. Thirty interlocking blocks of 1 metre each, nailed to the ground with weld mesh, will avoid earth caving in. The embankments will be reinforced by concrete panelling. Finally, earth will be filled on top of the box and ramps will be put up.

FEATURES
Underpass will be 15-metre wide to allow two buses to pass simultaneously. It will be fitted with solar lighting, vents for rainwater and pedestrian walkway. The arch segment, which is unidirectional, will be used for 9-metre clearance and box element for 4.5 metre.

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