In the corridor of hope and hype

The stretch from Palace Road to Bellary Road can safely be termed as a ‘flyover stretch’. There are a number of flyovers on this road, which connects to the airport. The traffic load on this stretch is heavy most times of the day, more so during peak hours.

The authorities are planning to build an elevated corridor from Chalukya Hotel to Hebbal in the hope of easing the traffic in the area. Though the move may be good for the future of the City, the problem is how long it will take for the corridor to come up.

Moreover, what will happen to the traffic in this side of the City when the construction of the flyover is in progress? The elevated corridor, proposed to be seven-kilometre-long, will go over the bridges and skywalks in the area. However, the BDA flyover on Sankey Road will be demolished. Metrolife speaks to the commuters to find out if they feel the corridor would serve any purpose.

Radhika, a professor, lives close to the area and feels that if this corridor is constructed, it will give rise to a number of problems.

“As soon as this corridor is ready, cars are going to create chaos. Besides, during its construction, commuters on Bellary Road and for those working and living in the nearby areas will have a miserable time. The Bellary Road also leads to the airport. The traffic jams might become worse for the people going to airport.”

According to Sidharth Chittur, a professional, a corridor in this area will make the situation go haywire. “Currently, there is a lot of traffic here thanks to the airport being located in this side of town. The corridor will probably worsen the situation. The authorities need to come up with a better alternative,” he says.

Sidharth also feels that citizens should be more responsible. “At the Chalukya signal, there is a lot of traffic at present thanks to people going on the wrong lane,” he adds.  

But there are those who feel that the corridor is necessary as this is one of the worst affected areas when it comes to traffic.

Das, an auto driver, travels often on this side of town. “The traffic here, especially between BDA complex and Cauvery Theatre junction, is really bad in the evenings. Besides, a lot of political rallies and meetings happen at the Palace Grounds. So when the VIPs come, the traffic is blocked all the more. The worst part is one can’t even reverse here. It’s a problem not just for the public but even for us auto drivers,” he laments.

The authorities assure that nothing will be disrupted during the construction of the corridor. “The corridor is currently in the approval stages. The process is long but the plan is ready,” says PN Nayak, chief engineer, Bangalore Development Authority.
 
“This construction is of a different type. The corridor will be fabricated in a casting yard and then brought here. This is the first time we are doing something like this,” he sums up.