Selecting the next 25 roads

Fifty more roads upgraded under the TenderSURE (Specifications for Urban Roads Execution) could change the face of central Bengaluru.

Provided the original guidelines and specifications are adhered to, the roads could complete a network in the city centre. BBMP and other professionals linked to the project are now in the process of selecting the first 25 roads.

The final list is expected to include roads with relatively high pedestrian traffic. This is in sync with TenderSURE’s design philosophy of a pedestrian-first approach to road-building. Proximity to a Namma Metro station is another key criterion. The road should be within a walking distance of 500m from the station.

To boost inter-modal connectivity, the accessibility of a BMTC Traffic Transit Management Centre (TTMC) from the road has also been considered as an important factor. A TenderSURE model can work best if it is integrated to a network of such roads. To this effect, roads that bridge the missing link in the first two phases will also be part of the final list.

The network is also critical to link the new underground pipes that play a key role in the road upgrade project. The inter-connected grid will make the fusion of the various underground utilities seamless, notes urban infrastructure expert, V Ravichandar. Such a grid will avoid problems associated with, for instance, connecting old water lines with new ones.

Not all roads will be part of the network. However, there is a broad consensus that at least in the initial phases, the road upgrade programme should be limited to the city area within the Outer Ring Road.

But inter-road networking comes only after the intra-road network is perfected. The TenderSURE road standards, as conceptualised by the Jana Urban Space Foundation, mandates the integration of networked services under the road – water, sewage, power, OFC, gas, and storm water drains. The design prioritises the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists, while recognizing the needs of street vendors and hawkers.

Once complete, the 12 roads under the first two phases and the 50 under the next phase are expected to offer relief from a litany of road issues: Potholes, broken footpaths, overflowing drainage, poorly placed power transformers and their hanging, spaghetti tangle of electrical wiring and telecom fixtures.

Key roads under consideration 

 Brigade Road – Shoolay Circle to MG Road
  Church Street - St Mark’s Road to Brigade Road
  Museum Cross Road - MG Road to St Joseph’s High School
  Commercial Street - Kamaraj Road to Juma Masjid Road
  MG Road - Queen’s Statue to Trinity Circle and upto ASC Centre
  Indiranagar 100 ft Road – Old Madras Road to Old Airport Road
  Kasturba Road - Siddalingaiah Circle to Queen’s Statue (MG Road)
  Kamaraj Road - MG Road upto Commercial Street and Upto St Johns Church Road
  Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road – from Hudson Circle to Richmond Circle
  NR Square (All roads surroundings Hudson Church )
  Lalbagh Road – Subbaiah Circle to Lalbagh West Gate via Krumbiegel Road
  KH Road – Richmond Circle to Lalbagh Gate
  Langford Road - KH Road to Hosur Road
  Siddaiah Road – JC Road to 12th cross
  KG Road - Mysore Bank Circle to Tank Bund Road
  Subedar Chatram Road – KG Road upto Rajiv Gandhi Statue Circle
  Dhanvanthri Road - Upparpet Police Station to Anandarao Circle
  Palace road - Mysore Bank Circle to Bangalore Palace Grounds and upto BDA jn
  Queen’s Road - MG Road to Cantonment railway station
  Race Course Road - Subbanna Circle to Basaveshwara Circle (Chalukya Hotel)
  Sheshadri Road - Subbanna Circle to KR Circle
  Avenue Road - KG Road to KR Market
  Roads around Kalasipalyam
  Bull Temple Road - TCM Royan Circle to MES College
  Gandhi Bazaar main road -Netkallappa Circle to Ramakrishna Ashram
  Vasavi Road - Ramakrishna Ashram to Lalbagh West Gate
  Lavelle Road (M L Subbaraju Road) - Residency Road to Kasturba Road via UB City Road  Jn and UB City Road - Lavelle Road to St Mark’s Road
  Assaye Road - Ulsoor lake to Banaswadi Road Jn (Wheeler Road)
  Banaswadi main road - St John’s Church Road to ORR
  Kammanahalli main road - Oil Mill to ORR
  4th Cross road - Hennur Road to 7th main Road
  Hennur main road - East Railway station to ORR
  CV Raman Road – from Mehkri Circle to Tumakuru Road