Sarakki Signal flyover coming soon; to be longer, costlier

Relief is in sight for motorists stuck at the busy Sarakki Signal, which links Kanakapura Road with the Outer Ring Road in South Bengaluru.

The BBMP has proposed to construct a four-lane 1.2-km-long flyover below the existing metro viaduct. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is ready, and the BBMP is hopeful that the state government will approve it shortly and also allocate funds in the state budget for 2021-22.

While the idea of building the flyover was first mooted a decade ago, the proposal has undergone many changes since then. Initially pegged at Rs 50 crore, the project is now estimated to cost 136 crore as the flyover will cover four traffic intersections: Sarakki Signal, Ilyas Nagar, 35th Main Road and JP Nagar Bus Stand. The length has been increased from 439 metres to 1.2 km, a source in the BBMP said.

"Initially, we had planned to build a 439-metre-long flyover over the ORR but the length has now been increased to 1.2 km to cover all traffic junctions before and after Sarakki Signal," said a senior BBMP engineer. "Our aim is to avert any possible traffic gridlock because the flyover will be part of the signal-free corridor."

According to the engineer, the idea of extending the flyover to four junctions was designed after the technical advisory committee felt that the project would serve no purpose if it is limited to Sarakki Signal alone.

But constructing the flyover would be easier said than done.

Kanakapura Road has undergone many changes in the past decade, the most notable being Namma Metro's Green Line, which has also made the area a hot property market. The 30.5-km-long line connects Silk Institute (on Kanakapura Road) to Nagasandra (On Tumakuru Road in North Bengaluru).

A 13.5-metre-high viaduct carries the metro line. BBMP officials say the flyover would be built under the viaduct, at a height of 5.5 metres.

Abdul Aleem, Co-founder, ChangeMakers of Kanakapura Road, a group of local resident welfare associations, welcomed the project.

He said five to six big apartment complexes, each having over 2,000 flats, and two malls were coming up on Kanakapura Road. Which means an increase in traffic congestion on the arterial road. A group of 40 RWAs had requested the state government to construct the flyover, he said.

"We request the government to complete the project at the earliest," he added.