Steel bridge at Minerva may be a non-starter
The Palike now plans to construct a steel bridge at Shivananda Circle.
A high powered committee at the State government level, which looked into the design and structural aspects of the steel bridge, deemed the project hazardous to the heritage structures in the vicinity. BBMP sources told Deccan Herald that the committee had been asked to rework the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the low cost project on that stretch as early as possible.
According to the sources, the panel felt that the steel bridge would pose a threat to the heritage buildings such as Town Hall, Ravindra Kalakshetra and BBMP’s own head office at Hudson Circle. Interestingly, the project had found a mention in the State Budget 2011-12 and was debated over the last three years at the Palike Council.
“The bridge, at Minerva Circle, was supposed to have just one ramp, as roads from Basavanagudi and City Market converge there. Hence, it would have been difficult to manage the load near that end,” the sources said.
It was felt that the steel bridge would pose a problem for motorists, given that they would have had to drive slowly on the J C Road stretch, which has a number of heritage buildings.
On the eve of the State Budget, members of the BBMP Standing Committee on Major Works visited the spot at Shivananda Circle and proposed that a steel bridge be built there.
However, H Ravindra, the Chairman of the Standing Committee, clarified that the Shivananda Circle project had nothing to do with the shelved project on J C Road. “The DPR of the Minerva Circle project will be reworked next month and the project at Shivananda Circle will be an addition,” said Ravindra.
However, traffic experts are sceptical about the very concept of steel bridges as they are highly unreliable, being unsuitable for movement of heavy vehicles. “Steel bridges have engineering work which need heavy maintenance. With most elements made of steel, there is every possibility of rusting,” said M N Sreehari, traffic expert.