The Karnataka cabinet has approved a major road widening project in and around Bangalore. The project, to be executed by the state PWD, will cost nearly Rs 1,000 crore. "A total of 46 roads will be widened under the project," said Sudhir Krishna, Principal Secretary, PWD.
The scheme is likely to be approved by the state finance department even though it is not included in the budget for 2007-08. The PWD committee has met thrice and after a detailed discussion, a total of 38 roads were initially proposed to be taken up to decongest traffic in and around the city, which also includes the three diversion roads to facilitate construction of an elevated expressway on Hosur Road. The committee has also discussed eight more roads, which are included in the state budget and which require improvement.
The committee finally decided to upgrade and widen 46 roads of approximately 1,005 km. While Rs 865.30 crore will be spent to widen a stretch of 901.64 km, Rs 131.63 crore will be spent on widening 109.72 km, Krishna explained.
The scope of work includes widening the state highway and MDRs that have a carriageway of 3.75 metres to 5.50 metres with single/intermediate lane to seven metres with 1 metre shoulders, widening and constructing culverts/bridges to 12 metres, constructing size stone masonry drains in built-up areas, strengthening the carriageway with 40 mm thick asphalt concrete wearing coat, and constructing grade separators at the state highway junction, major district roads and at the proposed peripheral ring road of Bangalore Development Authority.
"The quality of the above work will be monitored by a third party. A roads and highways mobile quality testing unit, the first of its kind in India, has been set up to conduct quality control check of the site," Krishna stated.
Of the 46 roads, three roads - from Bannerghatta Road-Outer Ring Road to Meenakshi Temple, from Airport Road-Kundlahalli Cross to SS Ashram and Sarjapur Road-Outer Ring Road to Railway Cross - will be developed with private participation. The funds required to develop the seven most congested roads (about 91 km) will be borne by the private parties and the department in the ratio of 50:50.
All the road projects will be complete by March 2008.