JOIN USRoad atop SWD to hasten travel from Banashankari to Mysuru road
Commuters between Mysuru Road and Banashankari will soon have a less traffic bottleneck to worry about. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is set to complete the construction of a road on top of a stormwater drain (SWD) at Nayandahalli, much to the relief of vehicle riders. Work on the link road is likely to be completed in a month.
The road will link Mysuru Road to Banashankari Ring Road, passing below the Nayandahalli flyover and over the SWD which connects to the Vrushabhavathi valley. Though the construction was done on a trial basis, to explore utilisation of space to the maximum, it has proved a success, claims BDA.
However, residents in and around Mysuru Road and Kengeri have their doubts about the facility. They say that the construction is illegal and that there is the possibility of water flooding the new road whenever it rains. This could render the road slippery and cause problems for riders of two-wheelers, the people say. They suggest that the BDA should ensure that the side walls on the road are raised to a safe level. This will avoid untoward incidents, which are common along roads built over SWDs.
P N Nayak, engineer member of BDA, told Deccan Herald that there was nothing illegal about the road atop an SWD.
“As per rules, we can construct a road on top of SWDs with pillars. We have constructed the road with circular piers. Flow of drain water will not be obstructed. This was done to ensure maximum utilisation of space and the experiment has been successful. The same can be replicated in other parts of the City”.
The BDA threw open the busy Nayandahalli flyover for traffic a few months ago.
Work on construction of the flyover, asphalting of the ground-level road and the link road atop the SWD started in 2012. The total project cost was Rs 85 crore. Presently, traffic is moving on the Nayandahalli flyover on an experimental basis without any hindrance. Asphalting of the ground-level road will be completed in three days once the rain stops.
The passenger car unit per hour on this stretch at any given time is between 12,000-14,000. After completion of this project, there will be smooth traffic to Banashankari, Tumakuru Road and Mysuru Road, Nayak said.