Tumkur Road to be closed

Tumkur Road to be closed

Move to facilitate speedy execution of elevated expressway work

Soumya Menon. Bangalore



Those commuting on Tumkur Road should brace up for an eight-month-long nightmare, as the Yeshwantpur-Hesarghatta Cross stretch of National Highway No 4 will be closed for traffic in both directions from next week.
However, vehicles, with the exception of lorries and trucks, will be allowed to take the service roads on either side of the national highway.
The Tumkur Road stretch, a major lifeline of Karnataka's surface transport, linking the capital city and northern areas of the state and the country, is being closed to facilitate early completion of work on the elevated expressway being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India.
The Bangalore City Traffic Police said that the road, including the service lanes, will be completely closed for lorries. Only light motor vehicles and public transport like BMTC and KSRTC buses will be allowed to ply on these lanes.
Heavy transport vehicles like trucks and lorries will be diverted to reach their destination without touching the city roads or ring roads.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood said that the pillars have been erected, while girders will be installed from next week. "We need to enable the speedy execution of work on the expressway which is to be inaugurated by early next year. The department came up with the solution that all vehicles will be made to use the well developed service roads. There are certain diversions for public transport vehicles and the public will soon be notified in this regard," he said.
Sood said the expressway work had reached a crucial stage and plying of vehicles on the highway would not only inconvenience the execution but also pose a threat to the public with increased risk of accidents and congestion.
"In fact, the heavy vehicles that would be diverted do not cater to the city. Usually, these heavy vehicles only clog the ring roads and cause chaos on city roads,'' he said.