Bridge too far? BDA in a muddle over Hebbal flyover loop in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Authorities are unlikely to meet the mid-April deadline set by the chief secretary to complete the construction of the loop linking the K R Puram side to Baptist Hospital at Hebbal Junction. 

The construction will connect the half-demolished loop to the ramp that will end right in front of the hospital. 

During a visit to the junction in late December, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh set the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) a 100-day deadline to complete the construction. However, given the pace of works, this deadline is unlikely to be met. As a result, prolonged traffic snarls will persist at the infamous junction. 

Last year, the BDA began erecting piers to construct the loop, which does not merge with the existing flyover. 

BDA officials had estimated construction to complete in September 2024, but deadlines were pushed due to delays in getting permissions from the railways and changes in plans. 

An earlier plan was to completely dismantle the ramp from Nagavara to KR Puram and create a direct route from Esteem Mall to the hospital. Accordingly, two spans of the loop connecting KR Puram and Hebbal were dismantled in April 2024. 

However, a change of plans prompted the BDA to partially dismantle the K R Puram up-ramp and connect it instead to the down-ramp ending outside the hospital. BDA officials are still assessing design options for the rest of the flyover from Esteem Mall. 

Traffic congestion at the junction underneath the flyover completely chokes up during peak hours, compounded by the lack of this up-ramp connecting to the existing flyover, prompting inbound vehicle from Nagavara to go through Bhoopasandra. 

The under-construction loop which will connect the K R Puram side to Baptist Hospital.

A traffic police officer familiar with the developments at Hebbal asserted that the construction would take at least another year.

"Just half the work appears to be complete, with the crucial connection of the new construction from the Hebbal bus stop with the old hanging up-ramp at Nagavara missing over the railway lines. Until the construction completes, traffic will be in bad shape," the officer noted. 

However, a senior BDA official insisted that at least 65% of the work had been completed, and things were being expedited to meet the deadline. But he acknowledged the delays. 

"Railways approvals for the section above the tracks took time. We had to rope in a vendor approved by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), then get the quality assurance plan and materials approved and inspected. After welding test approvals, fabrication is ongoing now. Assembling and erecting will come after that. We need at least 60 days for this process to complete," the official added. 

Changes at Hebbal Jn:

1. A 5.5-metre-wide road (1.5 lanes) from K R Puram towards the city.

2. This road will merge with a two-lane road coming from Esteem Mall. 

3. The flyover will become four lanes over the railway tracks. 

4. The four lanes will become three lanes after the railway track until the hospital. 

In the offing 

Several plans are being considered for the lane that connects Esteem Mall towards the city. These include connecting the existing Tumakuru loop, which links the Hebbal bus stop to the main flyover, to the new ramp from Esteem Mall, dismantling the Tumakuru loop entirely, and creating a separate loop away from a proposed underpass opening to the new ramp.

A senior BDA official estimated that plan reviews and approvals would occur within a fortnight.