Siddaramaiah to throw Church Street open on March 4

Come March, a swanky new stretch of Church Street, from Brigade Road to St Marks Road, will welcome visitors.

It will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on March 4, a senior Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) official said.

The work on the stretch began on February 22, 2017. After missing several deadlines, the BBMP has finally set the inauguration of the 750 meters long stretch.

Speaking to DH, K T Nagaraj, Chief Engineer (major roads) said,"Laying of cobblestone blocks is done. We are constructing a landscape island in front of the Empire hotel and the construction of parking bay is pending. Everything will be completed by March 1 and the street will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on March 4."

The 450 meters of the Church street from Brigade road to Rest House road was opened for the New year celebration on January 1.

"The road will have modern amenities like 50 decorative LED street lights, The stretch is laid with cobblestone blocks and good quality footpaths to make it pedestrian friendly," K T Nagaraj added.

The BBMP has planned ten parking bays on the stretch, where 250 two-wheelers and 15 four-wheelers can be parked. A dedicated parking space of 25% for both two-wheeler and four-wheeler parking space for women is also constructed and signboards indicating it has been put up on the stretch.

Recently the BBMP also installed speakers, provided by BPL company, to the LED electricity poles to play classical music on trial basis.

Okalipuram flyover

The much-awaited eight-lane flyover at the Okalipuram Junction is finally ready. It will be inaugurated on March 4, according to the BBMP Officials.

The eight-lane flyover, aimed at easing traffic, is under construction at a cost of Rs 352 crore. The civic body has paid Rs 154 crore for the three-acre plot belonging to the railways for the implementation of the project. It involves eight underpasses and two pedestrian paths.