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Stretch of Chord Road underpass thrown open for vehicular traffic

Staff Reporter

Rajajinagar underpass will be ready soon; end to traffic problems seen

ALMOST READY: The underpass at Rajajinagar Entrance which is nearing completion. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BANGALORE: Here is some good news for citizens in the western parts of the city, who have been enduring chaotic traffic and one-ways for the last two years.

A stretch of the Modi Hospital-Chord Road junction underpass connecting Mahakavi Kuvempu Road and Modi Hospital was thrown open for traffic on Thursday. Another stretch connecting Bashyam Circle and Okalipuram (the underpass component) of the Rajajinagar underpass will be opened for traffic in a few days.

Work on these two projects had caused hardship to motorists in Vijaynagar, Rajajinagar, Yeshwanthpur, Srirampuram and surrounding areas, as the work sites — Rajajinagar Entrance Road and Modi Hospital-Chord Road junction are the only connecting routes to the Central Business District.

While the Rajajinagar project has been delayed by almost 22 months, the Modi Hospital-Chord Road junction underpass is to be completed by September. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Technical Advisor, R. Jaiprasad, told The Hindu on Thursday that the two projects will be completed by the end of this month.

This is the fourth deadline that the BMP has announced ever since work on the Rajajinagar underpass started in October 2003. Being constructed at a cost of Rs. 15 crores, the project features a four-lane grade separator from MEI Polytechnic to Rajajinagar Link Road (Vatal Nagaraj Road), improvement to Magadi Road and Okalipuram junctions, widening of roads and remodelling of drains. It will be similar to the Mehkri grade separator.

Over 10,000 vehicles can commute smoothly through this underpass every hour and eight buses can pass simultaneously.

The Modi Hospital-Chord Road junction underpass connecting Yehswanthpur Road and Mysore Road (through an underpass) and the Modi Hospital and Navrang Circle is being constructed at a cost of Rs. 14.5 crores.

Mayor R. Narayanaswamy and Primary and Secondary Education Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy inaugurated the completed portion of the project today. The Mayor, who admitted that work on major projects was delayed because of land acquisition problems, rise in prices of raw material and lorry strike, said that the projects will be completed shortly.

"We have planned these projects to solve traffic problems in the long run. I urge the people to bear with the inconvenience caused to them during the implementation stage," he said.

Rajajinagar MLA N.L. Narendra Babu, Leader of the Opposition in the BMP Council B.R. Nanjundappa, and Leader of the ruling party, B.T. Sreenivasa Murthy, were present.

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