KRDCL has issued work orders to develop four key roads at a cost of Rs 2,095 crores. This includes Rs 454 crore for land acquisition. Thus the ride to Kempegowda International Airport will become easier for people living on the outskirts of the city.
The roads that will be developed are: Hoskote-Budigere Cross-KIA (20.11 km), Nelamangala-Devanahalli Road (39.26 km), Kanchugaranahalli-Anekal (56.18 km) and Anekal-Hoskote (39.28 km).
The development of these roads will benefit motorists coming from Nelamangala, Jigani, Anekal, Electronics City, Whitefield, Sarjapur, and Hoskote. However, using these roads will come at a price, as Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) has proposed collection of toll.
A KRDCL official said, that the existing roads will be upgraded from two lanes to four, and on some stretches near Kadugodi, up to six. At present, people coming from Hosur Road have to go through the city to reach KIA and spend hours in traffic. This will no longer be the case once the project is completed.
The corporation is also building an elevated corridor on a one kilometre stretch near Varthur village, and rail-over-bridges at Rajankunte and Jigani, among other places.
B.S. Shivakumar, Managing Director of KRDCL, said that the government will be bearing 50% of the cost. The rest will be borne by the corporation, which is taking a loan from the market to implement the project. When the project was mooted, toll collection was proposed.
In March 2017, the government had proposed to develop roads that link the airport thereby bringing down traffic congestion.
Project in 10 packages
The project will be taken up in 10 packages and is expected to be completed in two-and-a-half years.
A KRDCL official said that the PWD has built an alternative road for a short stretch till Mylanahalli, which helps people from eastern parts of Bengaluru and areas like Hoskote to reach the airport. Keeping this in mind, the KRDCL is developing the road from Hoskote to Budigere Cross, which will be linked at Mylanahalli.
The official added that motorists coming from the Nelamangala side on Tumakuru Road will be able to reach the airport faster once the existing roads get widened and are linked to NH 44 near Devanahalli.
Source: The Hindu