'Back-breaking' flyover closed a week after launch

Just a week after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) threw open one side of the steel flyover at Sivananda Circle, the civic body has closed it by blocking entry of vehicles.

On Sunday, the BBMP barricaded both sides of the flyover following concerns raised by users regarding the poor quality of work, particularly on the undulating surface at multiple spots.

The day saw at least half a dozen workers undertake repair works on the Rs 40-crore flyover which was opened for traffic on August 15. With entry to the flyover blocked, traffic was hit on Kumara Krupa Road and the stretch of roads between the railway bridge and the junction.

Riders on the 492-metre-long flyover had reported undulating surface and difficulties caused by a steep gradient. Many termed the experience “back-breaking”. The vertical clearance (height) is only 4.5 metres while the standard height followed on many flyovers is 5.5 metres. Recently, a bus loaded with goods on the top was stuck below the flyover.

The BBMP took close to five years to complete the project.

“The flyover is a classic example of how not to build one. Every expansion joint has become a speed-breaker. The surface is uneven at multiple places,” said a trader who runs a shop nearby.

The problems were exposed a day after the flyover was thrown open to the public. A video showing an auto moving on the flyover’s bumpy expansion joints had gone viral on social media, setting off sarcastic takes on the design.

M Lokesh, Chief Engineer of BBMP’s Projects (Central) Department, did not respond to calls from DH.

Residents of nearby areas maintained that the flyover will add no value unless the narrow railway bridge near the flyover is widened.