Finally, 'instant' underpass ready for traffic

The pre-cast underpass at Cauvery theatre junction, on the road leading to the upcoming Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli, will be thrown open for vehicular movement on Wednesday.

With this, the first move in making the road to airport a signal-free corridor has been set in motion. According to government officials, a further five such underpasses are being planned.

The road leading into the underpass has been asphalted and the surface has been levelled. "Vehicles will be allowed to use the underpass and the roads flanking it. We will assess the vehicular movement and take corrective measures in terms of traffic diversion before inaugurating the underpass formally," Greater Bangalore City Corporation (GBCC) officials said.

The pre-cast underpass was conceived to ease traffic congestion enroute to the new airport which is scheduled to be inaugurated this March-end.

The underpass, which was touted to be an economically viable technique of infrastructure development, had been labelled a 'magic box' by GBCC as the time required for its completion was 72 hours.

The concept had been borrowed from the construction industry in Malaysia and other major South-East Asian countries where pre-cast material is used extensively to expedite work on infrastructure projects. The project started on January 16 and was supposed to be completed by January 19. But the irony is that it has taken 34 days for work on the underpass to be completed.

In fact, a lot of hype was created by the GBCC about the magic box before it commenced work. However, the project ran into rough weather when the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) pipelines ruptured during excavation, flooding the site.

It took nearly a week for the authorities to remove the water. Work resumed, but came to a nought as truckers went on strike in protest against the transport department's rule that makes installation of speed governor mandatory in public transport vehicles.

Timely supply of raw-materials to the construction site was affected. The woes of the authorities compounded further when rains lashed the city last fortnight.

The GBCC plans to construct similar underpasses at High Grounds junction, BDA junction, Sanjaynagar, Anand nagar and Hebbal. Work on the underpass at BDA junction will commence on Wednesday evening and will be completed within 45 days.