BBMP decides to scrap wooden skywalk

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to drop its plan to build the engineered wooden pedestrian skywalk at Hudson Circle.

BBMP had announced the project, which it claimed was the country’s first such facility, in its 2018-19 budget.

BBMP now says that this project may affect the proposed steel flyover from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle. The skywalk was to come up under a public-private partnership (PPP) model without any financial burden on the civic body.

A senior BBMP official to DH, “Work on the steel flyover from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle will begin soon. We noticed that if we construct the skywalk at Hudson Circle, it may clash with the flyover project. Hence, the skywalk project has been scrapped,” he said.

The engineered wooden pedestrian skywalk structure would have had five staircases, three escalators and a suspended bridge. Another BBMP official agreed that the civic body had not planned the skywalk project properly. “We announced it in the budget, but now we have realised that it may be unscientific to have a skywalk when we are building the steel flyover.”

The steel flyover is planned to reduce traffic congestion along Minerva Circle, Bharat Talkies, Shivaji Talkies, Town Hall, LIC Head Office, Halasuru Gate Police Station and Hudson Circle.

Funds of Rs 138.8 crore for the project were allocated from the chief minister’s Nagorathana Scheme. The tender has been allocated to M V R Company.