Representative image for traffic.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hubballi: Within three months after the road in front of the old bus stand (now City and Sub-urban Bus Terminal) and the road between Channamma Circle and Old Court Circle were reopened after a closure for over four months, another major traffic diversion is going to begin shortly due to the flyover construction works at Hosur Circle in Hubballi.
When the flyover construction works including the arm towards Dharwad Road begins at Hosur Circle, the plan is to make traffic there one-way for vehicles coming from Dharwad side, making the circle partially closed.
Vehicles from the old bus stand direction will not be allowed to move towards Hosur Circle, but they have to take a left turn on Indira Glass House Road, and move towards Gokul Road or Dharwad via MT Mill Cross (Girani Chawl) and Vanivilas Circle.
Temporary arrangement
This traffic diversion is scheduled for two months. The date of the commencement of this temporary arrangement is expected to be announced in a day or two.
In a meeting with the officials concerned here on Monday, MLA Mahesh Tenginakai and Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ instructed the officials of Public Works Department (PWD) national highways division, traffic police and North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) to visit the place, and make preparations for the traffic diversion.
Police officials are expected to take a final decision regarding the route after observing the movement during a trial.
“We know that traffic diversion will cause inconvenience to the public. But we have no other option, and the flyover construction will be further delayed if traffic is not diverted to facilitate the works at Hosur Circle,” Tenginakai said.
Alternative stations
As the BRTS bus station in front of Canara Hotel has to be dismantled for the flyover arm work, NWKRTC officials demanded the development of two stations nearby before that. However, PWD NH division officials said alternative stations would be ready in two months, and temporary arrangements have to be made till then.
PWD NH Division Superintending Engineer Pradeep stated that the flyover would be ready in April if arrangements required including vacating the sub-urban police station building and traffic diversion are made fast.
The meeting dropped the plan to lay a temporary asphalt road under the flyover arms, in the wake of ongoing works. Permission is awaited from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to develop the cement-concrete road under the flyover, officials said. Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Commissioner Rudresh Ghali, HDBRTSCL MD Savitri Kadi, Corporator Roopa Shetty, Tahsildar Mahesh Gaste, and others were present.
‘Vacate police station building fast’
Lamenting that the construction of the flyover arm on Lamington Road is delayed as the sub-urban police station building is not yet vacated, MLA Mahesh Tenginakai asked police officials to completely vacate the building within a week, so that the building can be demolished and flyover works can progress.
Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu GRJ said Rs 5.3 crore compensation is sanctioned for the police station building, but the flyover works on this stretch scheduled for November first week could not progress as the building is not yet vacated, though police officials had committed three months back.