Traffic-choked OMR to get Bengaluru's longest flyover

Bengaluru: Bengaluru's longest flyover will come up along Old Madras Road as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) gets ready to fix the traffic problem on the key arterial thoroughfare that is notorious for traffic gridlock during peak hours. 

Located in eastern Bengaluru, OMR sits alongside dense neighbourhoods, tech hubs and transit points. Its key junctions, including TC Palya and Battarahalli, have become bywords for Bengaluru's infamous jams.

It is the only major national highway within Bengaluru that is not wide enough or doesn't have sufficient flyovers/underpasses to meet the traffic demand. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to change this through a nearly 15-km-long flyover that will start near the KR Puram police station and go all the way to Kolathur Junction. 

The flyover, besides decongesting OMR, will also help commuters seamlessly reach the under-construction Bengaluru-Chennai expressway, according to KB Jayakumar, Project Director (Bengaluru), NHAI. 

"There's no other way of fixing the OMR's traffic situation. The flyover will eliminate all major traffic choke points like TC Palya," Jayakumar told DH.  

The new flyover will have a six-lane main carriageway and surpass the length of the city's longest elevated road — the Electronics City expressway on Hosur Road (NH 4), which is 9.98 km long, Jayakumar added. 

While road users want the flyover to start at the KR Puram cable bridge, the official said that was not possible because the spot didn't fall in the NHAI jurisdiction. The KR Puram cable bridge runs above the railway line and is located about 2 km before the flyover's starting point. 

The flyover will integrate three underbridges along the OMR (Katamnallur, Hoskote Junction and MVJ Hospital at Kolathur). "We won't dismantle these bridges but will redesign and integrate them into the flyover," Jayakumar explained. 

Discussions are also underway on the fate of the toll plaza at Hoskote. 

"The flyover may have ramps at Hoskote for toll collection. Shifting the toll plaza to Kolathur may not be feasible," the official said, adding that a survey will determine the final decision. 

To make the flyover future-proof, the NHAI will build its spans (the distance between two pillars) with 30-metre girders that will be cast elsewhere and brought to the construction site on truck trolleys. The use of girders will "slightly" push up the construction cost and may pose challenges during transportation, Jayakumar said. 

The flyover is estimated to cost Rs 1,500 crore and will be funded through a Hybrid Annuity Model, whereby the NHAI and the contractor will share the cost. No additional land will be required, he said.

The NHAI is preparing a Detailed Project Report (DRP) on the flyover, which is expected to be completed by March 2024, according to Jayakumar. 

Bangalore Central MP, P C Mohan, said the flyover would "greatly benefit" vehicle users in eastern Bengaluru and added that construction was expected to start in about a year. 

While the flyover will be tolled, the surface road will be toll-free and serve people travelling within the city, Mohan told DH. 

Highlights - Easing gridlock NHAI to build 15-km-long flyover that will start near the KR Puram police station and extend up to Kolathur Junction   The new flyover will have a six-lane main carriageway and cost Rs 1,500 cr While the flyover will be tolled, the surface road will be toll-free Detailed Project Report on the flyover is expected to be completed by March 2024