Trying to find a solution to traffic woes of the city, the state government on Thursday approved five Signal-Free Corridors (SFCs), which will be executed by BBMP.
Considering the importance of the work, the state government has earmarked Rs 618 crore in its budget for make the corridors partially signal free and to provide seamless connectivity to commuters, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike sources said.
The government has given sanction for the BBMP to float tenders to carryout works stretching up to around 51.5 km. The BBMP floated the tenders on Thursday.
The five approved major corridors are – Dr Rajkumar Road (from Soap Factory to Okalipuram), Hosur-Lashkar road (from Vellara Junction to the Central Silk Board), Old Airport Road (from Vellara Junction to Kundalahalli Junction), Mekhri Road (Mekhri Circle to Hope Farm) and Outer Ring Road (from Mysore Road to Central Silk Board).
After extensive surveys on the corridors, the palike has identified the major junctions to be treated and provided with the underpasses or grade separators.
The BBMP has identified 16 junctions where the construction of underpasses would be taken up. Land acquisition will be made wherever necessary by paying the monetary compensation, added the source.
“Unlike the earlier plans, the present SFC projects will become a reality within a specified deadline. The BBMP has incorporated the provision of land acquisition in the project proposal. Instead of Transferable Development Rights (TDR), which is a cumbersome process, the BBMP has included land acquisition process for the smooth completion of projects along the five major corridors,” a senior BBMP official said.
This year, the state government has released Rs426 crore to carry out the project. Some stretches cannot be made completely signal free as Metro Rail tracks cross through them. One such is the Navarang junction, which has elevated Metro track along the route.