Bengaluru's MG road.
Credit: DH Photo/ B H Shivakumar
Bengaluru: MG Road, Bengaluru’s high street, is among 43 roads identified for white-topping, which involves building a layer of concrete on top of the tarred stretch.
White-topping the 2.2-km stretch between Mahatma Gandhi statue (near the cricket stadium) and Trinity Circle – which is relatively in good condition – is estimated to cost a whopping Rs 45 crore.
Not many are happy with the proposal of white-topping MG Road, considering that all adjoining roads including Residency Road, Brigade Road and Queen’s Road were developed under the TenderSURE model and remain in good condition.
There is also a fear that the work, which needs 20-day curing, will throw traffic out of gear in the central business district.
A portion of Kamaraj Road has already been blocked for traffic to facilitate the metro work, leading to longer traffic snarls at other junctions. In all, the BBMP plans to white-top 43 roads at a total cost of Rs 800 crore, which will be provided by the state government.
Some of the roads include 100 Feet Outer Ring Road (Jalahalli Cross to TVS Cross), Dinnur Main Road, Bull Temple Road, Race Course Road, West of Chord Road, Sarjapur Road and Jakkur Road.
The 43 roads – running 64.62 km – comprise two, three, four, six and eight lanes. On average, the BBMP has estimated the cost of white-topping one kilometre at Rs 12 crore.
Considering that each lane is typically 7.5 metres wide, the BBMP estimates to white-top a total of 106.05 km of lanes.
On a positive note, the BBMP has identified some stretches that are an extension of the existing white-topped lanes. Some of them are Nagawara Main Road, Hennur 80 Feet Road, Sahakaranagar, Gandhinagar and West of Chord Road.
In all likelihood, the poor condition of the stretch was not the criteria for choosing the new list as some roads that are in good condition have made it to the list.
Urbanist V Ravichandar felt that the large-scale expansion of the white-topping project was not needed.
“The world over, I have seen absolutely pothole-free tar roads. Only cement roads can be free from potholes is not correct.
What we should aim for is pothole-free standards in tar roads as white-topping requires heavy investment,” he said.