BRIGADE’S WILL GET EVEN HIPPER

In a matter of nine months, hip street Brigade Road will don a European look — a facelift that will give it a modern look with a heritage touch. The three major junctions along the road — Cauvery Emporium, Brigade Road and Vellara — will also be remodelled to give the road a global look. The project will be taken up on a private-public partnership. 

“The project is likely to take off by October this year. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 4.5 crore. Suggested by Abide, it was in cold storage for the past ten months for various reasons. It is going to be one of the city’s heritage tracks,” said Vivek Menon, managing director, Invicus Engineering Co, who is playing a key role in the project. 

The other road which saw a makeover was Vittal Mallya Road, a halfkilometer stretch that cost about Rs 6 crore.
 

The makeover won’t be just skin-deep. Features include remodelling the entire stretch by creating pedestrian pathways on either side of the road and shifting utilities such as drainage, water pipelines, sanitary lines, electric lines and optical fibre cables underground, and under different ducts. The 40-feet wide road will not be widened. Residency Road will also be given a bus bay as part of this project. 

Emphasis will be given to improving the junctions. The war memorial at Brigade Road junction will be renovated and thrown open to the public. As of now, it is maintained by a private builder and not open to the public.  

What will radically change the look of Brigade Road is Abide’s suggestion of constructing double-level seating arrangements in the form of an open gallery. Steps will be built on which people can sit and relax. 

Behind the war memorial will be a fully upgraded bus bay, with a restroom and ticketing facility for users of Big 10 buses. In order to help shoppers, the project may also include construction of an underpass from Mayo Hall to Bangalore Central. A few investors are funding the project and BMRC has also been approached. Resource mobilization is going on, Menon added. 

PARKING STAYS However, parking on Brigade Road will continue. “The unfortunate thing is that Brigade Road needs parking space as of now. Only after building a multilevel parking facility in the vicinity of Brigade Road can parking be shifted, not till then,” said Menon. According to him, half an acre is enough to construct a parking facility that can accommodate about 600 cars.
   

 When work is in progress, alternative roads will be used and traffic flow will not be stopped. A traffic control plan has also been readied by experts.    

BBMP OUT OF IT Private firms have sought  approval for the project and  BBMP is examining it. There will be no financial outgo from BBMP for this project. It is funded by private firms and approval is under examination.  

HOW ABOUT PEDESTRIAN PLAZA?

Brigade Road should ideally be made into a pedestrian plaza. It is not the only linking road; it should be given increasingly to pedestrians. I wouldn’t say that vehicles be totally banned but their movement must be controlled for sure. There should be a common visual element to connect from MG Road to Vellara Junction. All shops must have similar sign boards which can be recognized by a visitor for their commonality. The same applies to building elevation on the street  

Sathya Prakash Varanashi | URBAN PLANNER TIMES VIEW  

Youngistan should be thrilled that its fave street is undergoing a transformation. Brigade Road, the quintessential Cantonment street reminiscent of the British era, deserves to be preserved as a heritage street. The makeover also promises to give it a continental touch, and with a Metro running by, Brigade’s could turn into a signature street for a city aspiring for a global tag. Maybe it can be taken a step further and turned into a pedestrianonly zone. And no parking, please.
     

Traders happy about project
         

Having done with shopping, how about perching on a wooden bench and sipping coffee on the walkway of Brigade Road junction? This could soon be a reality, with a change in the streetscape.
    

With the Metro station coming up on MG Road, the number of visitors to the street will also increase.
    

Brigade Road traders welcome the makeover, as long as parking stays. “It sounds like a good project. We have also been maintaining the road. There is need to streamline garbage collection, and the footpath craves for improvement. Brigade Road is the image of Bangalore and should be made into a showcase street. Tourists from abroad make sure that they visit Brigade Road during their trip to Bangalore. For pedestrians, proper tiling has to be done,” says Naresh Nagpal, executive committee member of Brigade’s Shops and Establishments Association. The association is yet to receive official communication about the project. 

   

THIS ROAD YOU KNOW...

...WILL TURN INTO SWANK STATION

 
TOTAL REVAMP: (Top) The Brigade Road of today. (Below) An artistic impression given by ABIDe of the Brigade Road Junction when you approach it from MG Road and move towards Vellara Junction. The project includes renovating the war memorial