Central Silk Board Junction in Bengaluru is set for a comprehensive upgrade focused on traffic movement, drainage, sanitation and the use of space beneath the flyover, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said while launching the Ward One campaign on November 1.
The campaign is being undertaken across 43 wards in five city corporations. It was launched at the junction by painting the flyover pillars, with the minister saying that a permanent plan would be prepared for the comprehensive development of Central Silk Board Junction.
According to the announcement, civic authorities and voluntary organisations have already undertaken several improvement works at the junction. The Ward One campaign will now prioritise the development of major junctions, including measures to improve traffic flow and beautify public spaces.
The proposed works beneath the flyover include cleaning and redesigning the area, installing seating and creating facilities where citizens can spend time. Gowda directed officials to develop vacant land beside the stormwater drain as an island-like public space with seating and shade. He also instructed officials to install brush concrete in sections with exposed soil to help maintain cleanliness.
A public toilet is also to be planned at the junction because thousands of citizens use the area every day. On the route from Electronic City towards BTM Layout, officials were asked to install a steel grid over the stormwater drain to facilitate vehicle movement and improve the free-left turn.
The works beneath the flyover will include painting the pillars, installing kerb stones and providing seating. A throwball court is being built, and officials have also been directed to provide table-tennis and other recreational facilities. These measures would turn part of the space beneath the flyover into a combination of traffic-support infrastructure and public-use space, although the announcement did not provide a completion schedule or project cost.
Drainage is another major component of the proposed intervention. To address problems reported on the stretch from Central Silk Board Junction towards HSR Layout during rainfall, B-Smile is undertaking white-topping work. Gowda directed officials to take steps to construct a new drain alongside that work.
The intervention also includes a design concept based on Mysuru silk for the area beneath the flyover. CGI is supporting the development through its corporate social responsibility initiative in association with the Bengaluru South City Corporation. India Rising Trust, a non-governmental organisation, has handled the design and implementation of the Mysuru silk concept. The minister said the organisation had already developed more than five flyover-under areas.
The announcement places traffic management, drainage capacity and the treatment of residual spaces beneath elevated infrastructure within the same junction-development plan. Further details on the permanent plan, the scope of the new drain, implementation responsibilities and timelines are yet to be released. The immediate next steps are the Ward One campaign works and the preparation of the long-term development plan for Central Silk Board Junction.
