Demolition of Jayadeva flyover from March '19

Bengaluru: The technical team of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has made it clear that the demolition of Jayadeva flyover is the only way to build the Metro interchange station for the R.V. Road-Bommasandra line (Reach 5). But the delay in bringing down the structure has cost the contractor four to five months as he has not been able to take up subsequent works.

The demolition has been postponed considering the inconvenience caused to commuters, but now, the BMRCL has made it clear that the demolition work will begin in March next year and the entire structure will be brought down by November 2019. This has made commuters worry about alternative routes.

“The demolition plan is being discussed for a long time, but there has been no information on the alternative routes. If BMRCL starts the demolition work, the entire south Bengaluru will be affected as the junction sees a huge flow of traffic. Metro and traffic department officials have to analyse the traffic pattern and plan the work in phases to cause least amount of inconvenience to commuters,” said Mr Gautham, a resident of BTM Layout.

BMRCL said that the work will start with the demolition of the loop connecting the Bannerghatta Main Road with the main carriageway on Outer Ring Road. A traffic police department source said that most of the roads around the area will be turned into one-ways for smooth movement of vehicles.

“We need to discuss the alternative routes with traffic police stations in the area. We only have the option of diverting traffic towards Jayanagar 9th Block Road, BTM Layout, J.P. Nagar and towards Silk Board and Dairy Circle, which are already packed. Most other areas have small roads. As we have time till March, we will come up with a good solution,” the source told Deccan Chronicle.

In 2006, the Bangalore Development Authority spent Rs 21 crore to construct the flyover to reduce congestion on Bannerghatta Road and in Jayanagar. The BMRCL decided to demolish the structure after holding a meeting with the Joint Action Committee, which has 10 resident welfare associations from BTM Layout and Koramangala. The flyover will be replaced with a multi-level structure providing elevated Metro and road connectivity. It will also house interchange stations for R.V. Road-Bommasandra (Reach 5) and Silk Board-K.R. Puram (Phase 2A). The new 2.84 km flyover is estimated to cost '133.54 crore as per the previous tender documents.