Police threaten to close part of Mysore Road flyover

Police threaten to close part of Mysore Road flyover

M.T. Shiva Kumar

BBMP promises to get the worn out joints repaired within a month

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN: The huge gap between two sections on the Mysore Road flyover poses a major threat to two-wheeler riders in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: The Bangalore City Traffic Police have threatened to stop vehicular movement on one side of the Sirsi Circle-Town Hall flyover if the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) failed to repair the expansion joints on it.

Almost all the 20 expansion joints of the flyover are worn out. One of them has completely given way, endangering motorists for the last three days.

“Our work is just to regulate vehicular movement. All expansion joints on the flyover need to be replaced. The BBMP has not replaced them since its construction. Many a time, we asked the BBMP to repair the worn out and damaged portions. We hope that the BBMP will do it soon,” Panduraga H. Rane, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Traffic Division), told The Hindu.

Reacting to the police threat, A.K. Gopalaswamy, Engineering in Chief of BBMP, promised to set right the expansion joints within a month.

“The issue has been brought to our notice and we will work on it,” he said.

On Wednesday, this reporter saw a car screeching to a halt in front of a damaged joint. A two-wheeler following the car rammed it. Fortunately, the two-wheeler riders were not injured.
Verge of closure

Opened in 1998, it is the city’s first flyover.

The BBMP had spent Rs. 94 crore on this flyover.

“The flyover needs regular maintenance by the BBMP. But it has completely stopped asphalting the road and painting the median on the flyover. It has not bothered to replace the damaged expansion joints.

As a result, the flyover and the surrounding areas are witnessing the worst-ever traffic jams from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.,” said an officer, attached to the Chickpet and City Market traffic police. “We do not want motorists to travel on the damaged expansion joints. Hence we are planning to partially block vehicular movements on one side from Silver Jubilee Park to Mysore Road,” the officer said.

This flyover is about 2.9-km long.
Always clogged

“One lane leading from this flyover to the City Railway Station is always clogged with rainwater because of the poor drainage system.

Water drips from the flyover on the road underneath. This flyover was not properly planned before its execution,” said Sushma S. Shenoy, a software engineer with Siemens who uses the flyover regularly.

“This flyover is convenient and saves a lot of time. But of late, huge traffic jams occur on this road. It is risky at night when it is dark,” said Ms. Shenoy.