Japanese delegation meets George, 'bats' for steel flyover

A Japanese delegation met Bengaluru Development Minister K J George and senior government officials on Friday and cleared “misconceptions” about steel flyovers.

The delegation, which consisted of Denichiro Yamada, an expert in highway engineering and expressways, Shu Moriyama, chief advisor to the Japanese government in the highway department, among others, took details of the steel flyover the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) intends to build from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal.

“They have given us a report on how the project can be implemented and how beneficial it will be. They agreed that the BDA’s steel flyover plan is of international standards,” P N Nayak, BDA Engineering Member, told DH.

The delegation said a similar steel flyover was being built in Tokyo because it was “quick to construct, needs less space and has a long life”. The members allayed fears that the steel flyover would create an urban heat island. “They said there will be no change in temperature as the structure will be covered with slabs. No such thing has been reported in Japan,” another BDA official quoted the delegates as saying.

The delegation had contacted the state government after learning about the steel flyover project.

“They are fascinated by Bengaluru and its infrastructure. They took notes and offered to give suggestions on the project, if need be,” said an official in the Urban Development Department who was present at the meeting.