Monday, June 27, 2011

Plan for bus corridors may be put on the road today

Plans for a Bus Rapid Transit System in Bangalore have been in the works for nearly three years

Three years after feasibility studies, the ambitious Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is all set to get off the drawing board. The state cabinet is expected to clear the project for implementation in Bangalore Thursday. The BRTS is expected to provide speedy, comfortable and affordable means of transport in the state’s rapidly expanding cities.

The Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Plan for Bangalore proposes that BRTS can be implemented on 291.5 km of road in the city. Implementing the BRTS in the city is expected to cost `3,498 crore, and the work will be carried out in two phases, along 14 corridors. The first phase of the project will see the development of the BRTS on the Outer Ring Road, as a pilot project, connecting Hebbal and the Central
Silk Board junction, a distance of 35 km. The BRTS envisages operating high-tech,low-floor buses in large numbers. This would motivate regular commuters to shift to public transport on a regular basis. The 35-km stretch of the Ring Road from Hebbal to Silk Board has 17 junctions, and these are set to be modified
to accommodate dedicated bus lanes, so that movement is smooth and without interruption.
The bus lanes will be located in the middle of the road. On its part, the Bangalore Development Authority
is already constructing underpasses and flyovers at all intersections on the Ring Road to accommodate dedicated bus corridors.

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