The traffic was diverted nearly a month ago but work on strengthening the Sirsi Circle flyover has still not begun . The city’s first flyover on Mysore Road, it was built 15 years ago with expansion joints imported from Hong Kong for longevity and durability. But the years have taken their toll and the cushion- like joints have worn out. Its feared any delay in replacing them could damage the physical structure of the flyover, but the BBMP is fumbling in the dark as it does not have the original designs and drawings to help it find the right technology for the job.
L&T ,which built the flyover, refused to hand over the drawings to the erstwhile BMP as it did not receive full payment and now has no copy to offer the BBMP either, according to sources. The ‘slab seals’ or ‘transflex’ joints suggested by its consultant, Civil Aid Techno Clinic have not been found suitable for the flyover. L&T engineers who were consulted about the technology, warned that scraping the flyover to a depth of 350 could damage its structure and suggested using the ‘finger type’ technology instead, say sources. The BBMP commissioned STUP consultants to prepare a plan for replacing the 14 expansion joints without damaging the flyover’s stability and its technical advisory committee has now approved the ‘finger type’ technology for the Rs 2.6 crore project. The tender to replace the expansion joints has been bagged by the Sanfield (India) Limited and the work is finally slated to begin on May 20, they added.