Hebbal flyover redesign: Tenders likely in April, says Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday assured the Legislative Assembly that work on expanding the Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru, where traffic congestion has become notorious, will start soon.

Bommai was responding to a question by Byatarayanapura MLA Krishna Byre Gowda.

With the Hebbal flyover unable to sustain the increase in traffic at the junction, the government is planning to redesign the flyover to enhance its capacity, Bommai said. The new design is ready and at present, the design has been put in the public domain to receive feedback. The government will "most likely" call for tenders in April, he added.

"More or less, we use the Hebbal flyover daily. But, North Bengaluru has grown by leaps and bounds. While earlier the traffic load was at Mekhri Circle. An underpass and grade separator transferred the load to Hebbal. Plus, there's a ring road there that increased the congestion," Bommai explained, stressing that the government is committed to ease the traffic congestion at the junction.

Raising concerns about the traffic congestion here, Gowda pointed out how commuters had to negotiate a traffic jam of 30-45 minutes on the flyover during peak hours. "Some 20 years ago, the then Congress government sanctioned the Hebbal flyover to meet the demand. Then, the international airport came and north Bengaluru also developed. The flyover became inadequate. Under the Siddaramaiah government, work to widen the stretch started at a cost of Rs 80 crore. The work stopped after the BJP government came saying there's a metro line coming there. It's been three years for the redesign to happen," he explained.

In the written reply, Bommai stated the government is integrating the works of Hebbal flyover expansion and the metro works at this junction.

The BMRCL has taken up the works of the metro line between Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport via Hebbal junction. A metro corridor between Hebbal and JP Nagar is also planned in Phase 3. Meanwhile, the BDA has taken up the expansion of the Hebbal flyover.

The state government and BMRCL engaged RITES Ltd to come up with an expansion plan for the flyover, without obstructing the metro line. It is estimated that the expansion work will cost Rs 244 crore. The new design is available on the BMRCL website, for public feedback. "I assure this House that funding won't be an issue," Bommai said.

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