Surat to have 6 escalator foot overbridges

SURAT: Walking in the city is set to get a tad pleasuresome. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to construct six foot overbridges (FOB) equipped with escalators in the city.

It will be for the first time in the state that FOBs with escalators will be built.

Each bridge will cost around of Rs 2.25 crore to 2.50 crore. Each bridge will have elevators on both sides, a CCTV and staircase for the downward journey on either side.
These bridges will be constructed on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) system under public-private partnership (PPP).

Civic body had called in tenders from private entrepreneurs for 14 FOBs at different locations in the city. Of these 14, six places, where maximum revenue generation and footfall is expected will be equipped with escalators. The tenders will be opened on August 17 and bridges will be ready in a year.

Jaydeep Chauhan, executive Engineer, Traffic Cell of SMC said, "The lease period will be of 30 years as estimated costing for the construction of one unit works up to Rs 2.5 crore."

The escalators will be placed for upward motion at six places on both the sides of the bridge along with 8x8 lifts to carry 20 passengers at a time.

At present, only four cities of the country namely Delhi, Jaipur, Indore and Hyderabad have such FOBs with escalators.

The locations which are earmarked for FOBs with escalators are Chowpathy at Athwalines , near Iscon Mall at Gaurav Path on Dumas road, near railway station , on LH road, near Man darwaja on Ring road and on Varacha main road.