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Access-controlled and signal-free, Electronics City elevated expressway
has changed the way Bangaloreans travel.
As wonders go, this one can leave the most cynical Bangalorean as
awestruck as a baby. That a hellish stretch where traffic jams were
the order of the day could morph into a smooth-assilk drive calls
for saucer-eyed admiration. And that's just the kind of emotion
the 9.5-km Electronics City elevated highway evokes.
 Before the highway was thrown open to public, negotiating this stretch
was a nightmare. And that just couldn't be. After all, Hosur Road
has the highest vehicular density in Bangalore. For one, it leads
to the famed Electronics City. It's the only road that connects
the city to south India and it's also a common stretch for both
the northsouth corridor and the Golden Quadrilateral.
The situation here a few years ago was so bad that Bangalore's infrastructure
soon attracted the adjective "crippling". Even IT companies,
fed up with the poor road conditions, threatened to move out of
Bangalore. The project created so much hype when it was announced
that prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh flew down specially to lay
the foundation stone.
The project began in July 2006 with a time-frame of twoand-a-half
years. But there were the inevitable delays. It started on time
but recession, issues with scam-tainted Maytas and other factors
slowed progress. Finally, Rs 886 crore and four years later, the
city's first 10-lane highway was opened to public in 2010.
The highway changed everything. Commuters who used to take at least
40 minutes to an hour to reach Electronics City from Central Silk
Board can now zip zap zoom. The entire 9.2 km stretch can be consumed
in 10 minutes flat - despite the 80 kmph speed restriction.
 The road below was widened to a six-lane highway with two service
roads on either side and the entire Hosur road stretch - from Silk
Board to the Karnataka border - has virtually become signal-free,
barring one near Electronics City.
The project has a number of features to boast of. It has a state-of-the-art
highway traffic management system (HTMS) comprising CCTV surveillance
of roads - not just of the elevated road but a substantial stretch
of the Grade Road too. It also has automatic traffic counters and
classifiers (ATCC), meteorological stations and variable message
signs (VMS) at two elevated road stations and five ground-level
stations that inform road-users about the weather, traffic etc with
the help of the display system.
There are emergency call boxes (ECB) for road-users at every 2 km
on the elevated road and ground-level main roads, allowing them
to call the main base camp in an emergency. A fully-equipped basic
life support ambulance and a 7.5-tonne capacity light recovery vehicle
with crew is stationed at each camp to provide relief. There's also
a mobile route patrol with radio to provide assistance and relief
to road users.
Of course, since the inauguration of the flyover, there have been
frequent complaints about rash driving, higher toll and other issues.
But you can't deny that the highway has worked wonders for Bangalore.
 You Must Know !
* This is the second-longest elevated highway in India.
* The project weighs as much as 54,000 African elephants!
* This was the first tolled flyover in the city.
Source: 17. February.2011, BangaloreMirror.
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