The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Traffic slows down expressway work’

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Sunday, Jun 22, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Traffic slows down expressway work’

Staff Reporter

9.5 km-long expressway will be delayed by six months, says Union Minister

NH 7 stretch between Hebbal and airport
to be upgraded
Six-lane elevated expressway to come up between Hebbal and Yelahanka

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Taking stock: K.H. Muniyappa, Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, (second from left) inspecting the progress of work on the elevated expressway from Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City in Bangalore on Saturday.

Bangalore: Those travelling to Electronics City from the city limits will have to wait for nine more months to fulfil their dream of travelling on an elevated expressway. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on Saturday that it will take six more months to complete work on the expressway.

The 9.5 km-long toll expressway from Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City being built under the build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, was scheduled to be completed by July.

Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K.H. Muniyappa, who inspected the progress of work on the elevated expressway on Saturday, said that work had been affected owing to heavy traffic on Hosur Road, and the expressway would be ready only in February or March next.

Airport connectivity

With regard to improving connectivity to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli through the highway, Mr. Muniyappa said the NH 7 stretch between Hebbal and the BIA would be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs. 450 crore and the request for pre-qualification had been invited.

The NHAI will build a six-lane toll elevated expressway between Hebbal and Yelahanka (Kogilu Junction) to eliminate traffic signals as part of the upgradation project, said NHAI chairman N. Gokulram.

An additional lane would be added on both the sides of the main carriage way of the highway, while providing a two-lane service road on either side.

This will make the stretch between Hebbal and the BIA a ten-lane corridor, Mr. Gokulram added.

Construction work would commence only early next year as the bidding process would take at least six months to be completed, he said.

Referring to other projects taken up by the NHAI in the State, Mr. Muniyappa said that work on widening and development of national highways — NH 17 between Mangalore and Kerala border (18 km); NH 17 between Suratkal and Kundapur (71 km); NH 13 between Bijapur and Hospet (194 km); NH 4A between Belgaum and Goa border (84 km); and NH 4 between Mulbagal and Andhra Pradesh border (21 km) — are at various stages of implementation.

The portion of the NH 4, which was being developed as part of the Golden Quadrilateral project that connects Chennai and Mumbai through Karnataka, would be completed by the end of 2009. The work on this stretch had been affected, particularly at Haveri and Hubli, as some cases were pending in court, the Minister said.

Asked about the damage caused to national highways due to movement of ore-laden trucks, Mr. Muniyappa said the State Government should take stringent measures to check overloading of trucks.

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