Asphalting begins at last, 23 ‘smart’ roads to be ready in 15 days

Among the roads currently being tarred are Jumma Masjid Road, Halasuru Road, Kamaraj Road, Bowring Hospital Road and Coffee Board Road

Twenty-three roads being developed under the Smart Cities Mission for the last two years are finally getting the finishing touches.

Workers hired by Bengaluru Smart City Ltd (BenSCL) are going into overdrive to asphalt these roads, which are expected to be ready by the end of this month. Among the roads currently being tarred are Jumma Masjid Road, Halasuru Road, Kamaraj Road, Bowring Hospital Road, Coffee Board Road, Race Course Road, St John’s Church Road, Infantry Road, Central Street and Raj Bhavan Road. Travelling on most of these roads had become dangerous because the main carriageway was dug up.

BenSCL says the roads are being tarred with three different layers such as base, damp-proof membrane and bituminous concrete. “We have started asphalting the main carriageway. Minor works such as plantation and corrections of the pavements are also going on simultaneously. In the next 10-15 days, we plan to finish the work on almost all roads,” Rajendra Cholan, managing director, BenSCL, said and added that a third-party agency will inspect the works and suggest corrections. A total of 36 roads located in the Central Business District (CBD) were taken up for development under the Smart Cities Mission at a cost of Rs 482 crore. While nine of these roads have been completed, the development of 23 other streets took a long time due to construction challenges, heavy vehicular movement and the pandemic.

Three other streets — Avenue Road, Commercial Street and Miller’s Road — would take longer to complete.

It was the first time that BenSCL undertook roadworks that also included laying separate underground utility lines. And it doesn’t plan to develop more roads in the near future. Officials say they may develop more roads only if there are excess funds.

Check out DH's latest videos