HASSLE TODAY, SMOOTH DRIVE TOMORROW

Come Tuesday, commuters taking Hartali Mor on Bailey Road will face the fallout of the construction of the Lohia Chakra Path's first phase of construction.

The much-awaited project comprising a maze of short elevated roads and underpasses at four prominent traffic junctions between Vidyut Bhavan and Lalit Bhavan would commence from Daroga Prasad Rai Path.

Apart from digging up of the central portion of Daroga Prasad Rai Path, earlier known as Serpentine Road, the construction work at Hartali Mor would also require demolition of some parts of the boundary walls of a few key government buildings on either side of Bailey Road, including Vikas Bhavan (new secretariat), Visvesvaraya Bhavan and Soochna Bhavan.

Though no diversion would be required for construction work at Daroga Prasad Rai Path, officials concerned informed that a traffic diversion plan had been chalked out for alternative vehicular movement during the execution of the project on Bailey Road.

"We are going to start groundwork for the proposed elevated roads and underpass at Daroga Rai Path from next week. Soil testing and other pre-construction works are already underway and groundwork would start from December 22 (Tuesday)," said a senior engineer at Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) looking after the project.

However, traffic superintendent of police (SP) P.K. Das, claimed that he had not been communicated about commencement of work at Daroga Prasad Rai Path under the Lohia Chakra Path project.

"We have been requesting different government agencies time and again to give us prior information in case they require digging roads for their projects. In any case, we might block Daroga Prasad Rai Path for vehicular movement, if needed. I would talk to officials in BRPNNL in this regard," said Das.

"Construction for this project would be carried out in seven phases and the first phase would start from Daroga Prasad Rai Path. After Hartali Mor, we would take up the work at the Lalit Bhavan crossing. Separate traffic diversion plans for all four crossings have been submitted to the traffic police," said the BRPNNL engineer.

While commuters are apprehensive about the construction period troubles, Lohia Chakra Path project is expected to ensure break-free traffic movement between Lalit Bhavan and Income Tax Roundabout on Bailey Road.

While the traffic SP as well as BRPNNL officers assured that commuters would face no inconvenience, residents are apprehensive over the difficulties they might have to face during the construction period of the project.

"It is very difficult to commute on roads, where flyover or similar projects are carried out. For instance, we had to face a harrowing time for two-and-a half years during the construction of the Jagdeo Path-Sheikhpura Mor flyover. We had to face similar issues for the past two years during the construction of the Exhibition Road flyover," said Sumit Kumar, a resident of Rajabazaar.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar launched the execution of work on the Lohia Chakra Path project on August 26 this year.

Over the past three months, Haryana-based SP Singla Constructions Pvt. Ltd - the firm awarded the contract for the project - has been carrying out soil testing, load testing and testing the mobility of required equipment.

Lohia Chakra Path, a first-of-its-kind project in the country, has been designed by Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), an industrial interface of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.

FITT, using a blend of the swap-based traffic interchange and grade separated U-turn based traffic interchange, has devised a model, utilising a combination of small elevated bridges and underpasses at the four traffic junctions between Lalit Bhavan and Vidyut Bhavan.

This technology eradicates the concept of traffic signals and check-posts.