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BIAL Connectivity Updates December 2007

Updates on the proposed high speed rail, the proposed expressway and improvements to existing NH7 to BIAL.

High Speed Rail To BIAL
Sridharan meets Governor
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chief E Sreedharan made a presentation on the Detailed Project Report of the high speed rail link to Devanahalli to Governor  on Saturday, Dec 15, 2007.

The presentation included the need to float a Special Purpose Vehicle, the time schedule, and various other aspects of the Rs 3900 crore project.
The DMRC suggested that the project be taken up on a priority basis at the earliest to offer speedy connectivity to the Devanahalli airport. Sreedharan told Deccan Herald  that the governor was satisfied with the presentation. “The government has given a positive response. It is now for them to implement the project,” he added.  The governor is also keen to begin the project as early as possible. TOI reports that "the governor is said to have promised to take action in the next couple of days."

NH7 To BIAL
TNN Dec 14 & 15
PWD
PWD has requested NHAI to gear up the NH 7 to take the airport traffic by constructing more underpasses, interchanges and ROBs.

Police

The police are looking at identifying civic agencies to construct underpasses throughout the stretch to the upcoming airport. Technically, it takes about 35 minutes to travel from Hebbal flyover to the Devanahalli airport intersection without traffic hindrances. On Friday, additional commissioner of police K C Ramamurthy and his team visited the route to figure out where traffic signals are needed. The police have also identified sectors which need to be barricaded for pedestrian safety and smooth flow of traffic.

Palike
Meanwhile the palike is tackling the North Corridor, from Minsk Square to Hebbal Flyover. Seven junctions-Windsor Manor Bridge, BDA junction, Cauvery junction, CBI junction, Sanjaynagar junction apart from Maharani's College and KR Circle will be signal-free by March.

BBMP commissioner S Subramanya said that work will begin on December 15 and a traffic plan is being prepared so that traffic will be least affected. "We are working day and night to make service roads so that traffic can be divided. Only near Balabroohi, since the road has to be completely excavated due to a dense network of water lines, the traffic will be diverted. But we will not close the road at any point of time and by March the stretch between Bala Broohi to Hebbal Flyover will be completely signal-free," he said.

Here is the plan for the junctions along the Hebbal Main Road:
  Windsor Manor Bridge: The BBMP will widen the existing road into a six-lane road with land that has already been taken over from the golf club. Two pre-cast elements will be placed in the middle of the circle to allow vehicles to take a right turn towards Hotel Ashoka, and those coming from Anugraha to come onto to Hebbal Main Road and take a left or right turn. As the lanes will be increased, options to get into Windsor Manor and change lanes to move towards Hebbal or the city are being made. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 1 crore. It will take seven days to complete it.

BDA Junction: Though this is a relatively simpler plan, two long up and down ramps will be made on the Hebbal Main Road. Two box underpasses will allow vehicles to move from Banglore Palace towards Malleswaram, and those coming from Cauvery junction to take a right turn towards Malleshwaram. As the ramps will need embankments, it is estimated that this project will take more time. The cost is estimated at Rs 2.5 crore and will take approximately 45 days to complete.

Cauvery Junction: At this junction, vehicles moving towards Hebbal will have to take a left turn towards Bhashyam Circle and then take a 'U' turn after moving 50 meters to join the Hebbal Road. A box will be introduced to take a 'U' turn and another one at the junction, will allow vehicles from Bhashyam Circle to join Hebbal Road and move towards the city.

CBI Junction & Sanjaynagar Junction: At both these junctions, underpasses will be erected at the middle of the road below the surface level.

Expressway To BIAL
The 21.2 km expressway which went through random re-alignments before the alignment was arbitrarily frozen has raised a lot of shackles amongst the people. ToI Dec 14th 2007 quotes a senior PWD official: "The Rs 1,000 crore project is finally taking shape. We have finalised the route and issued a preliminary notification. We are finalising the consultants and after that, the tendering process will begin. We are hopeful that the project should be completed over 20 months".

According to ToI, the PWD has also written to the centre for availing viability gap funding for acquiring land for the project but is yet to get any reply.  Putting apprehensions to rest over the very formation of the expressway the government has notified the project, which entails a 21.2 km six-lane tolled road. After a year of conceiving the project, the government through a special gazette dated August 8, notified the project and the boundary for the entire alignment. The Karnataka Road Development Corporation, which is the project implementing authority, has called for a global tender to construct the tolled road on a BOT basis.

However another ToI report says:  A decision to hand over the project to the National Highways Authority of India to speed it up was taken by BMRDA, PWD and BBMP officials at a review meeting on Friday. The state government will send a request to the Union government to fund the project entirely by entrusting it to NHAI. Earlier, the Union government was asked to fund for the project in the form of viability gap funding. “Objections to the alignment have been invited. A major objection filed by property owners is to denotify their properties. Public properties have to be acquired for the project. The applications are being scrutinised,” officials told The Times of India. Another request to the Centre will be to develop one of the ring roads — STRR, IRR, PRR and to realign, develop NH 207 to connect Bantwal in Mangalore to Tamil Nadu via Kolar which would act as an East-West corridor of the state.

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Hassle-free ride to new airport promised

Hassle-free ride to new airport promised
Source: Deccan Herald

The State Government will shortly declare the entire 33-km route — from the GPO junction to the airport — as a separate traffic corridor and entrust the responsibility of managing traffic till the airport to the Bangalore city traffic police.

“The jurisdiction of the city traffic police will be extended till the international airport as far as the corridor is concerned. A notification will be issued soon,” S Krishna Kumar, an advisor to the governor, told Deccan Herald.
The plan is to have an integrated management and control of traffic on the road leading to the airport. “We cannot have multiple authorities controlling traffic on this route...We can’t have a situation in which the DCP traffic, Banaglore city, mans the traffic till Hebbal, and from there till the airport, the Yelahanka traffic police gets into the picture and so on,” he added.

“Traffic management is a matter of training, experience and technique. Traffic police in places like Yelahanka will be good only in controlling trucks and lorries. Managing traffic on the airport road is a different ball game. “Hence, only well-trained policemen will be deputed on the route to manage traffic. He or she will be adequately trained to clear traffic immediately in case of accidents,” he explained.

Welcome move
According to ACP (North traffic) K H Chandrashekar, it is a welcome move.

“We are already preparing for the new system. Our policemen have good experience in ensuring smooth flow of traffic,” he said.

He said a proposal has been sent to the government to set up a separate traffic police station for the corridor. With the BBMP taking care of are all traffic junctions (by making them signal-free) and the Bangalore city traffic police controlling the traffic, vehicle movement to the airport will undoubtedly be smooth.

This is not all. The government is planning to put up sign boards and other traffic equipment all along the route. Especially, small cranes will be kept ready on the road so that they can immediately lift vehicles that are damaged in accidents.

The Bangalore traffic police will implement this using funds under the B-track project. Besides, additional policemen will be provided to manage traffic on the road.

However, Bangalore city police will be free to take the help of the Yelahanka traffic police, if necessary, Mr Krishna Kumar added.
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NHAI To Implement Project

KA executive committee headed by the Governor Rameshwar Thakur has decided to hand over the implementation of the airport expressway (ORR-BIAL) and the phase 1 of BDA's PRR(Tumkur Rd-Bellary Rd-Hosur Rd) to NHAI.

"Handing over of the two mega projects to the NHAI would be an advantage for the State as the former has taken up many national highway projects in and around Bangalore."

The necessary land for the PRR and the airport expressway will still be aquired by BDA and BMRDA respectively, but the NHAI will reimburse the state for the aquired land. Both projects would be taken up under the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer scheme.

PRR Phase 1
Length: 65-kms (Northern Ring)
Cost: Rs. 1,600 crore.
Agency: BDA
Status: Final notification for the acquisition of land between Tumkur Road and Hosur Road completed.

Airport Expressway
Length: 21.8-km
Cost: Rs. 1,080-crore
Agency: BMRDA
Status: Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (K-SHIP) has completed proposal. The land acquisition work for this road would be done using the Karnataka State Highway Act by the BMRDA.

http://deccanherald.com/Content/Jan22008/state2008010244402.asp
http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/02/stories/2008010253750400.htm
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Buslane To Airport

Dedicated Bus Lane For New Airport ToI Bangalore's first dedicated bus lane will be laid to exclusively ferry airport passengers and the BMTC is deploying 40 A/C buses for this purpose. The dedicated bus lane is meant to ensure quick travel time on brand-new low-fare Volvos and also to avoid breakdowns. The bus lane will be marked by two yellow lines using thermoplastic paint, and the lane will be marked: 'For Buses Only'. The police will man the lane for a while to ensure only buses drive on it. Barriers will also be put up at regular points along the lane. Lane marking will begin in January and trial runs will begin towards January-end and February. The plan is to ready the lane before the airport is inaugurated in March. The BMTC and transport department received the go-ahead to execute the project following the submission of a comprehensive report on the lane system by traffic expert M N Sreehari. The plan is to cover the distance between Hebbal flyover and airport in 25 minutes. Initially, there were no provisions to install bus stops along the way, but owing to good passenger flow, bus stops have been tentatively planned for every 2 km. The distance between bus stops will be worked out later. Sreehari has suggested that the Hebbal BMTC depot can double up as the departure hub. Passengers coming in from the Outer Ring Road, Vijaynagar and Koramangala must go to the Hebbal depot to board buses. Passengers from Bangalore East and South-East can proceed to the airport without a detour as a direct road is being built. ------------------ Road Improvements Two roads to be ready by April The BBMP is optimistic about completing work on widening of two roads - Bellary and Race Course Road during March and April. They’ve been taken up on a priority basis as these two roads connect the new international airport and the proposed expressway. Around 90% of work has been completed on Race Course Road. Building of compounds has been completed on either side. Utility ducts have been laid. This widened road would be opened in March. About 70% of work has been completed on Bellary Road. Work on creating bus bays, erecting compound walls and laying utility ducts have been completed. In order to expedite the work, shifting of utilities is being done quickly. This stretch of road would be ready from April.

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