A road worth taking in Bengaluru

India’s Silicon Valley, Bengaluru, will soon boast of a spanking new 7.2 km stretch of road, all the way from Queen’s Statue opposite the cricket stadium on MG Road to Byappanahalli. This will be among 20 roads in city that will get a major makeover.

Billed as the costliest road project, at Rs 6 crore per km, under a first-of-its kind Public Private Initiative (PPI) where the private party, the Bengaluru City Connect Foundation (BCCF), is loosening the purse-strings to provide world-class facilities for vehicles, pedestrians and utilities.

The BBMP and BMRCL are the other stakeholders. The blueprint will be ready towards the end of this month and the tender process will commence mid-January.

“The aim is to develop the road as one of the top class roads with street lamps, uniform carriageway, signages, parking facility and pedestrian facilities like subways and a skywalk,” said a BBMP official.

The State government will spend Rs 43.2 crore at the rate of Rs 6 crore per kilometre on the project. BCCF will prepare the blueprint and tender documents. The BMRCL has offered to share 50 per cent of the project cost.

A couple of years ago, the battered Vittal Mallya Road was given a whole new look under a PPP initiative involving BBMP, UB City and Prestige group. The project was executed by T.J. Naik and Company while Inbicus Engineers handled design and construction.

Crores of rupees will be spent to provide street furniture between Byappanahalli and Queen’s statue on M.G. Road stretching 7.2 km. The BMRCL spent Rs 1,225 crore on this corridor. The corridor, to be developed under tendersure initiative, will make it the costliest road in the city.

Tendersure is an initiative to provide specifications for planning and design of existing roads with all the necessary requirements like drains, lane markings and pedestrin and motorist requirements.

One-of-a-kind initiative

The Bengaluru City Connect Foundation, in association with government agencies has planned the first ever Public Private Initiative (PPI) which is different from the Public-Private Project. Under the PPP, the private player would look for financial gains for a fixed number of years. Under the PPI the private party only pitches in and does not expect monetary gains.

What you can expect:

* Each kilometre of road is expected to cost Rs 6cr
* Tendersure guidelines with all pedestrian and vehicle infrastructure will be upgraded
* Blueprint will be ready for BBMP by December-end
* Cities like Chennai and Pune have endorsed it already and it’s a success

Members of BCCF:

* V. Ravichander, chairman, Feedback Consulting
* Ramesh Ramanathan and Swathi Ramanathan, co-founders of Janaagraha
* Kiran Majumdar Shaw, founder and chairperson, Biocon

Roads to be upgraded as per tendersure guidelines

* St Marks’s Road – Residency Road to Cubbon Road – 1.5 km
* Commisarriate road – Mayo Hall to D’Souza Circle 1.0 km
* Cunningham Road – 1.6 km
* Magarth Road – Brigade Road to Hosmat Junction – 0.90 km
* Victoria Road – D’Souza Circle to Agaram Road - 0.75 km
* Museum Road- Vellara Junction to St. Mark’s Road – 1.20 km
* Kasturba Road 0.75 km
* Cubbon Road – 1.50 km
* Brigade Road – Cubbon Road to Vellara Junction – 1.30 kms
* Devanga Hostel Road – 0.50 kms
* Rajaram Mohan Roy Rd 1.10 kms
* Vittal Mallya Road– 0.60 km
* Brunton Road – 0.50 km
* Lalbagh Road – From Subbaiah Circle to Lalbagh – 1.08 km
* 1st Cross Road (Poornima Theatre road) - 0.50 km
* Armugam Mudaliar Road (Siddaiah Road) - 1.10 km
* Lalbagh Fort Road – From JC Road to KH Road - 1.20 km
* Nrupathunga Road – KR Circle to Hudson Circle - 0.90 kms
* Dr B.R. Ambedkar Veedhi – KR Circle upto Gopalagowda Circle – 0.45 km
* Kumarakrupa Road – Windsor Manor to Shivananda Circle 1.10 km