Patna is undergoing an urban makeover promising to make commuting a breezy affair.

A flurry of construction work on flyovers and underpass projects will transform not only the cityscape but help residents reach their destinations on time.

While construction work on Lohia Pathchakra, also known as Bailey Road multi-junctional interchange project, is expected to start near Lalit Bhavan from February 15, work on flyovers over

R-Block and Karbighaiya is expected to start in April.

The three projects are aimed to bring respite from frequent snarls. Pre-construction works, including soil and load testing have already started on all three projects. Piling works for construction of pillars under Lohia Pathchakra project started on Daroga Prasad Rai Path in last week of December.

 

R-Block and Karbighaiya flyovers

Officials in the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), the executing agency, claimed that construction of pillars in R-Block and Karbighaiya flyovers would start soon after the results of load tests.

"Any flyover construction project starts with soil test followed by load test. We assess the characteristics of soil where the flyover is to be constructed through soil testing. Thereafter, capacity of the soil to hold the load of the flyover and the vehicles on it is tested through load testing. Soil testing on the two flyover projects has already been completed and the results of the load test is expected to arrive after 28 days. We will start piling works on both projects soon after that," said Nawab Alam, senior project engineer at BRPNNL, who is looking after the flyover projects.

The R-Block flyover will connect Mithapur rail overbridge (ROB) to Bhikhari Thakur ROB (near Vidhan Sabha) over Hardinge Road via R-Block roundabout, whereas Karbighaiya flyover will connect Mithapur ROB to Chiraiyatand ROB via Karbighaiya. While the flyover over Karbighaiya is being constructed with an estimated outlay of Rs 103 crore, the

R-Block flyover is being built utilising funds to the tune of Rs 118 crore. (See chart)

"The deadline for comp-letion of works on both flyovers is November 11, 2018," said Alam.

 

Bailey Road interchange project

Officials in BRPNNL claimed that piling works for construction of pillars for overpass and underpass at Lalit Bhavan will start from February 15. This would involve digging Bailey Road between Lalit Bhavan and Hartali Mor.

"Various civic utilities, including underground electric, telephone and optical fibres for Internet, are getting shifted on this stretch of Bailey Road. Besides, boundary walls of few of the buildings such as Pant Bhavan and Technology Bhavan will be partially demolished during construction work," said a senior official in BRPNN looking after the Lohia Pathchakra project.

A first-of-its-kind project in the country, the project has been designed by Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) - an industrial interface of the IIT-Delhi. Using a mix of their new inventions, swap-based traffic interchange and grade separated U-turn-based traffic interchange, FITT has devised a model utilising a combination of small elevated bridges and underground tunnels at four traffic junctions between Lalit Bhavan and Vidyut Bhavan. This technology eradicates the concept of traffic signals and check posts.

 

Motorists' plight during construction

Though the three projects would decongest the streets, motorists are apprehensive about the hassles they would have to face during the construction period owing to dug-up roads.

"It is very difficult to commute on a road, where any

flyover or similar structures are constructed. For instance, we had to face a lot of troubles during the construction of

the Jagdeopath-Sheikhpura Mor flyover, which went on for two-and-a half-years. This is basically because the authorities don't come up with alternative traffic arrangement during the construction period," said Saurabh Kumar, a resident of Kidwaipuri.

Officials, however, claimed that an appropriate alterative traffic arrangement has already been planned for the construction period.

"We made a service lane

on Daroga Rai Path, when actual construction on Lohia Pathchakra project started on that road in December last year. Similarly, vehicles would use Rajbhavan, Deshratna Marg and Secretariat Road during construction work on the stretch of Bailey Road between Lalit Bhavan and Hartali Mor. Also, vehicles will use the street behind Bihar Museum to reach Daroga Rai Path from the high court crossing during construction work between the patna High Court and Hartali Mor," said the BRPNN official.