One of the busiest and oldest flyovers in Bengaluru - the Sirsi Flyover will be shut from December 26 onwards. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has finally woken up to the fact that the flyover was riddled with potholes, making it a death trap for motorists.
Speaking to TNM, KT Nagaraj, BBMP Chief Engineer for Road Widening said that the flyover will be closed anywhere between four weeks and four months depending on the speed at which the flyover is repaired. The surface of the flyover, which has crumbled completely will be re-constructed, Nagaraj said.
The Palike has contracted the project to Saitrisha Infra Engineers Pvt Ltd. The project entails relaying the entire 2.6 km stretch. BBMP has also decided that tiki bitumen primer will be added while reconstructing the stretch in order to make the stretch more durable to plying of heavy vehicles like trucks and buses.
“Just four years ago, the flyover was reconstructed. The asphalt which was laid is now in poor condition. Redoing the flyover is important because it connects CBD (Central Business District) to south Bengaluru,” a senior BBMP official said.
From December 26 onwards, traffic congestion along this stretch is likely to increase as a portion of the road will be closed.
Motorists travelling from Narasimha Raja Road and KR Market towards Sirsi Circle will not be able to take the ramp down towards Royan Circle as one part of the flyover will be closed for repairs in Phase 1. Commuters will have to go towards Chamarajpet and take the connecting road to Bengaluru Body Builders’ Junction to reach Mysuru Road.
“Phase one will take a toll on the traffic conditions. The Sirsi Flyover area is generally prone to a lot of traffic. With the flyover reconstruction, it will increase the traffic. We had taken permission from the Traffic Police in November itself. The work must be completed and this is a price to pay,” KT Nagaraj added.
The Balgangadhar Swamy Flyover, popularly known as Sirsi Flyover, was the first elevated corridor to be constructed in Bengaluru city during SM Krishna’s tenure as the Chief Minister.
The flyover was constructed at a cost of Rs 97 crore and was inaugurated in 1999. The flyover was repaired in 2012 to replace expansion joints. In 2014, the BBMP carried out fresh asphalting of the stretch. However, the massive rains in 2016 and 2017 had led to the formation of potholes, which were never fixed properly.
The Palike has set aside Rs 4.3 crore for the current project. “The tiki bitumen primer will be laid once the concreting work is completed. The asphalt will be laid on top of the tiki sheets to make the road stronger,” Nagaraj added.