BDA to build flyovers and underpasses between Agara Lake and St Johns Hospital junction

For the next 15 months,all those commuters travelling through St Johns Hospital to Sarjapur are in for a tough time.

As part of the signal-free corridor from Agara Lake to Sirsi Circle,the BDA will begin work on four junctions - Jakkasandra Junction,Aishwarya Hotel junction (in front of Police Public School),Krupanidhi College and the Water Tank Junction (St Johns Junction) simultaneously and most of the five km stretch is going to be dug up.

If that does not sound ominous enough,here is another piece of news.

The line of trees that make it possible to withstand the wait as the red light turns into green will be chopped down.

After the BBMP and the BMRCL wielded the axe for infrastructure projects,it is now the turn of the BDA to chop down 150 trees on the stretch.

The BDA,which had begun work at the Aishwarya Hotel junction,has grand plans for the stretch.The project is part of the C 8 signal-free corridor running from Sirsi Circle to Agara Lake via Lalbagh Fort Road.

The aim is to reduce travel time between HSR Layout and the corporation,and thereafter to the Central Business District.

The four junctions will have a combination of flyovers and underpasses (see box for details) to divide a very dense stretch,which has a Passenger Car Unit (PCU) of more than 15,000.

The entire signal-free corridor,which measures about nine km,will also include an elevated expressway from TR Mill to St Johns.Work of the expressway will begin at a later date,according to BDA executive engineer Nagendra,who is overseeing the project.The estimated cost for these four junctions is about Rs 199.38 crore.

The entire project,which was originally the brainchild of the BBMP,was handed over to the BDA after it was found that the Palike had no money.

But BDA,which has barricaded almost half the road at the Aishwarya Hotel Junction,has angered travellers.

Aneesh Kamath,who travels from Banashankari to ITPL,said,Without any warning,you cut off almost half the road of such a busy junction creating such problems for commuters.They should have at least made an announcement on the matter. 

Others,meanwhile,question the need for the loss of green cover for the project.

The road is almost 120 feet wide.These trees were very essential and a much needed relief for long distance travellers.Just how much of our green cover will we have to lose 

The peak hours are about three to four hours put together and even then,there is no traffic jam that we face, says Deepa Modi of JP Nagar.

Though the forest cell is yet to give the clearance,the BDA estimates that at least 150 trees will have to go.Most of them are old rain trees with large green canopies.

But in a bid to pacify environmentalists and tree lovers,Nagendra said,We will be transplanting many of the younger trees and will try and save as many.If you look at the previous estimate of the number of trees that the BBMP had planned to chop down,150 is quite a conservative number. 

Conservative or not,Bangalore is set to lose another piece of its green cover.

WHAT IS COMING WHERE 

• Jakkasandra Jn,Uni-side flyover,Length - 1 km 
• Aishwarya Hotel Jn,Underpass,Length - 95 m 
• Krupanidhi College Jn,Underpass,Length -95 m 
• Water Tank Jn,Grade separator,Flyover length - 750 m,Underpass length - 80 m

The BDA will begin work simultaneously at Jakkasandra,Aishwarya Hotel,Krupanidhi College and at Water Tank junctions