Koramangala flyover work begins as fresh queries arise

The  construction of the Koramangala flyover to decongest three junctions has formally kicked off. But even as residents associations there claim the project had their approval, other voices have emerged raising questions about its impact on traffic and environment.

The project had been in the pipeline since 2012, and all of Koramangala stood united on this matter, says Nitin Seshadri, former president of the 3rd Block Residents Welfare Association. The project had been in the public domain for years, he points out, questioning the interest in raking up issues now.

The elevated corridor is designed as a four-lane, bi-directional structure, integrating three traffic junctions en route: The hyper-clogged Sony World Junction, the Ejipura Main Road-Inner Ring Road Junction and the Kendriya Sadana Junction. Foundation pits are now being dug from the Kendriya Sadan side.

Critics of the project say the flyover will result in cascading effect, choking both ends at the Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) and Hosur Road. They contend that the flyover was conceived with a narrow objective of decongesting only the Sony World Junction. Besides the entire project was based on traffic data of 2013.

Struggling with high congestion on 100 Feet Road and the IRR, Indiranagar residents have another concern: Vehicles alighting the proposed Koramangala flyover at high speeds will clog the entire Ring Road and simply transfer one area's problem to another.

The flyover itself was conceived before 2013 when the IRR was a fairly smooth ride. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared in April 2013 says: "At present, the to and fro vehicular traffic between Indiranagar and Electronic City is moving smoothly between Domlur Flyover and Ejipura Main Road – IRR Junction."

But current morning and evening peak-hour traffic on the IRR paints an entirely different picture, points out Dattatreya T Devare, who had analysed the DPR from a 2017 perspective.

DH News Service