Few folks spotted a tender from BDA calling for pre-qualification of contractors for 6 elevated roads in the city. Not sure if its related, but BBMP recently was forced (cash crunch, or court order) to cancel its infamous 12 "signal free" radial roads project (refer ToI, June 8: "dead end to signal free ..."). Perhaps the idea is being elevated and 'transferred' to BDA :) Hold your allegations though, BDA's 2011-2012 budget includes a line item for "Construction of 4 Elevated Roads in the city area". Amount mentioned is Rs 60 Crores. 4 has become 6, and 60 crores would surely become 600 or more !
Anyway, here is the tender scan:
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Options to castles in the air
IMO, there's one of three ways to take this forward...
This is not without precedent. Japan (for instance), has urban expressways constructed primarily as above-ground viaducts.
As the visual evidence suggests though, property acquistion is inevitable unless 'the plan' is to skirt 2nd and 3rd storey windows by inches (as most of us have seen on the Richmond Circle flyover). Despite the presence of sharp curves (in this rather hypnotic video) though, Japan's urban expressways are an interconnected network (see map below).
In contrast, there is little to suggest any level of interconnected-ness in BDA's tender with the exception that Roads 3, 4 and 5 'land' within 250 m of each other. Additionally, what this bodes for us in terms of the all the pains associated with the construction phase, not to mention the aesthetic impact can only be imagined.
While this does, with proper planning, address the latter two issues (the disruption during construction and mitigating the aesthetic impact, two issues remain. Cost is one (though arguably not a major one) and (as Naveen points out) management and maintenance is the other.
Operating counter-current to the rest of the country, San Francisco chose arterial streets over expressways, even demolishing existing freeways to make way for less invasives thoroughfares. This might just be the way to go for monstrosities like the Richmond Circle flyover.
(Before)
(After)
Additional investments in PT are more easily conceptualized (than these roads) too. For instance, a small spur (UG or aboveground) along the proposed IIMB-Nagwara line along Hennur Road all the way to ORR would obviate the need for 'Road 4'. Tamp on other unglamorous words like 'traffic engineering', 'junction redesign' and 'rationalized lane widths' and that is where the best solution might just lie. Time to learn from a sister maybe?
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TM
When do we get to see real plans?
If there is one, can someone show us how these corridors were arrived at. I'm not against elevated roads per se, but without comprehensive planning, we will end up with more Richmond circle style monstrosities.
Item 6 - University to BHEL elevated link beats me. Kengeri is already slated to be the peripheral transport hub. KSRTC, BMTC, Metro, and now Namma Railu are all going to (or already have) set up shop there. Only critical junction in the stretch at Nayandahalli is a work in progress - construction of a major 3 tiered flyover has already started. BHEL junction is looking at a redesign following ever-so-soon-to-be completed road-over-drain (aka gali anjaneya flyover). Why elevate this stretch?
What happend to HSRL on High ground to Hebbal
The way corriodors are planned, it will create big mess in the city CBD area. These elevatd corridors will bring more Private Vechiles and discurage Public Transport.
Take an example BETAL on Housr Road to Electronic City, it has encouraged more Pvt Vechiles to enter Electronic city. Currently public will feel some relief, but long run, will create big problem unless Public Transport buses are given preferance on elevated corridor.
If more Pvt Vechiles enters CBD area thru Elevated Raods and where will you provide parking facility and moving arround CBD area, existing roads will they withstand this pressure.
If the authorites allow only Public Transport buses , inter city buses, Company buses on elevated Raod, then the intention will have big imapct on Traffic.
Now one of the corridor High Ground to Hebbal will clash with HSRL path, That means more land acquiring and next 4-6 yrs will be war zone for Bangalore Roads.
Time for congestion charging
Time for congestion charging before any concrete is poured. Any urban highway if needed has to go underground. If we dont have money for underground we dont really need it and have to live without it. There are enough tasks to do in fixing road lanes, merges, sign boards, driver education, road safety, enforcement etc to keep us busy for the next 10 years
All over the world they are destroying elevated highways SFO, Boston, Seoul etc & here we are going the other way. If we dont learn from others mistakes we should go back to thumping chests & living in caves. Maybe other countries will throw peanuts and laugh at us from behind the fence.
Elevated Highway between Gnanabarathi and BHEL clash with Metro
Namma Metro extension to Kengeri work is going between BHEL till Gnanabarathi which will subsequently extended till Kengeri. The proposed elevated highway will clash with Metro, one more flyover which BDA itself is constructing on ORR - Mysore Road junction at Nayandahalli which already is struggling for its way due to Metro.
NICE road is being extended from ORR to BHEL junction. Cars travelling towards Mysore can pay 35 rupees and zoom past Kengeri. Why this duplicated Elevated Highway?
Another castle in the air!
Seems like a fancy idea from BDA that will eventually die a natural death, like so many others.
The total proposed elevated road length add up to over 42 km. Even at a modest 80 crores per km, this works out to a whopping 3300+ crores !
Can BDA manage this kind of funding ? From where ?
Elevated roads already
Elevated roads already removed
Portland, OR: Harbor Drive
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Freeway
San Francisco, CA: Central Freeway
Milwaukee, WI: Park East Freeway
Toronto, Ontario: Gardiner Expressway
New York, NY: West Side Highway
Niagara Falls, NY: Robert Moses Parkway
Boston, MA: Interstate 93 (moved underground)
Paris, France: Pompidou Expressway
Seoul, South Korea: Cheonggye Freeway
Elevated roads being removed
Rochester, NY, Innerloop
Trenton, NJ, Route 29
Akron, OH, Innerbelt
Washington, DC, Whitehurst Freeway
Cleveland, OH, Shoreway
New Orleans, LA, Claiborne Expressway
Nashville, TN, Downtown Loop
New Haven, CT, Route 34 Connector
Montreal, Quebec, Bonaventure Expressway
Tokyo, Japan, Metropolitan Expressway
Sydney, Australia, Cahill Expressway: (Moving to underground)
The following freeway removals have been proposed by citizens:
Baltimore, MD, Jones Falls Expressway
Seattle, WA, Alaska Way Viaduct
Bronx, NY, Sheridan Expressway
Buffalo, NY, Route 5
Hartford, CT, Aetna Viaduct
Louisville, KY, Interstate 64
Portland, OR, I-5
Chicago, IL, Lakeshore Drive