In a big victory for activists fighting for the safety of pedestrians crossing the Outer Ring Road, the BMRCL has agreed to their proposal to build a skywalk near Kalamandir in Marathahalli.
The skywalk is being built by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under public-private partnership.
However, the initial proposal was shot down by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which was still finalising the details of the Outer Ring Road Metro corridor.
Clement Jayakumar of Doddanekundi Rising said the approval came after six months of back-to-back proposals and meetings to discuss the design details.
“The agency that had initially proposed the skywalk lost interest due to the delay. However, civic activism saved the project. We apprised the BMRCL about the importance of the skywalk as many people have been hit by speeding vehicles, suffering serious injuries while crossing. They allowed us to work constructively, which helped in bringing back the advertisement agency funding the project,” Jayakumar said.
The skywalk is expected to come up between ORR pillar 22 and 23 near Kalamandir in the next six months. The BMRCL, however, said the structure has to be dismantled if it comes in the way of the segment launching operations in the later stage.
There should be at least a 5.5 m minimum vertical clearance for the road below and the bottom-most point of the skywalk, the corporation said in its letter to the BBMP, adding that there should also be a 5 ft clearance between roof of the skywalk and the viaduct.
“During the construction of the proposed BMRCL walkway below the viaduct, the BBMP should dismantle the skywalk structure or redesign and reconstruct, integrating it with the walkway, as decided by the BMRCL,” the letter said.