Commercial Street, the favourite haunt of a huge number of Bengaluru shoppers, is soon going to sport a new look, with plans afoot to cobblestone it on the lines of Church Street.
Commercial Street, the favourite haunt of a huge number of Bengaluru shoppers, is soon going to sport a new look, with plans afoot to cobblestone it on the lines of Church Street. Parking will be prohibited on this road to make it a pedestrian-friendly zone. Entry of vehicles may also be banned once the road is completely cobblestoned.
The BBMP has planned to undertake works in late February or early March so that enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct ahead of the parliamentary elections does not delay commencement of the project.
Basavaraj Kabade, Executive Engineer, Project Central, BBMP, said, “The tender has been finalized and sent to the board for approval. We will start the work soon after approval is given. We have identified this road as pedestrian-friendly zone, and parking of vehicles will be allowed on Kamaraja Road.”
Walk to your heart’s content on high street
SHOPPING enthusiasts will soon be able to indulge in retail therapy in peace at Commercial Street, with the local civic agency planning to develop the stretch into a pedestrian-friendly zone.
According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Package-1 of developing Smart Roads in the area is estimated to cost Rs31.5 crore, of which the laying of cobblestones on the 700-metre road between Jumma Masjid and Kamaraja Road is estimated to cost around Rs8 crore.
A BBMP official told , “We have sent the finalized tender to the board committee of Smart City project. We want to take up the works as soon as the approval is given. We expect the work to start in late February or early March to avoid general election’s Model Code of Conduct affecting the commencement of works. We believe that the approval from board committee will be issued soon and the work order will be given by early February.”
The BBMP wants the road in the historical commercial hub to have with footpaths under the TenderSure model. With the addition of footpaths after the cobblestone-laying, on-street parking of vehicles will be prohibited along the road. The agency had proposed the project in October 2018, after which it called for tenders in November. The tender has been finalized and the tender has been sent to Board Committee of Smart City Project for approval.
The BBMP has already implemented the concept of laying cobblestones on a 750-metre stretch of Church Street at a cost of Rs14 crore. It was completed in February 2018. The work involved laying of 5 lakh hand-made cobblestones.
However, BBMP officials said a cobblestoned Commercial Street will be stronger than Church Street due to the narrower road not allowing speeding of vehicles, which can damage the cobblestones.
The BBMP, as part of the smart city initiative, had called tenders for development of 20 roads as Smart Roads under TenderSure guidelines at the cost of Rs 230 crore in November 2018, in which this project has been included.
Agencies
