As the countdown to the opening of Bangalore’s new international airport on March 30 gathers momentum, there’s a sense of anxiety among Karnataka Government officials tasked with ensuring smooth traffic flow on the 37 km-long distance between the new airport and the city. While projects such as metro rail connection and dedicated expressway will take another two years, authorities are racing to put in place systems along NH-7, the main road link to the airport, to ensure smooth traffic flow.

One of the immediate measures to improve traffic flow is the creation of seven new underpasses within the city to ensure a traffic signal-free access to NH 7. The Bangalore City Corporation — which initially boasted of being able to put in place each underpass within three days using a ‘magic box’ technology of pre-cast blocks for the tunnels — has already taken over a week for the first underpass. The construction activity received a setback after workers broke water pipes while digging trenches for the underpass.

This week, city corporation’s Commissioner S Subramanya told a special task force, created to ensure good connectivity to the new airport, that the first of the underpasses will be ready by January 29, as against the original deadline of January 19. Work on the second underpass will begin soon after and the corporation will complete five of the seven underpasses before the opening of the airport, he said.

“The airport authorities have put up a huge display counting down to the opening of the airport. Every time we see it and realise no real progress has been made in providing good connectivity, we get jittery,” a senior official in the state infrastructure department said, after the task force meeting. Aviation Minister Praful Patel was among the people who expressed concern over the lack of proper connectivity between the airport and Bangalore.

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