One more bottleneck on Tumkur Road

One more bottleneck on Tumkur Road

T.S. Ranganna and Anil Kumar Sastry
Traffic Police urge people to use outer ring roads to avoid Goraguntepalya
—PHOTO: K. GOPINATHAN

SQUEEZING THROUGH:Thanks to the Namma Metro works on Tumkur Road, all the speed the elevated road between Goraguntepalya and Nelamangala affords comes to nought.
BANGALORE: It turns out that the joy was premature for regulars on the busy Tumkur Road. Initially, they were elated over road widening and commissioning of the elevated highway between Goraguntepalya and Nelamangala, particularly as the drive from Nelamangala to Goraguntepalya takes just 20 minutes.

Alas! what has ruined everything for them is the half-hour crawl before reaching Yeshwanthpur.

This is because a major portion of the national highway (NH 4) near R.N. Shetty Plaza has been taken over by Namma Metro for the construction of the Yeshwanthpur Industrial Town Station.

The result? While those bound for Nelamangala have it easy, what with also being supplemented by a service road, Yeshwanthpur-bound vehicles have to squeeze through a 10 foot-wide space, creating a classic bottleneck.

Traffic advisory

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood discounted the possibility of completely blocking the traffic towards Yeshwanthpur.

However, preference will be given to Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses, which have to reach Yeshwanthpur and destinations beyond, and vehicles bound for Yeshwanthpur Railway Station.

Moreover, he pointed out, there are alternatives for those heading towards other parts of the city, including Hebbal, Yelahanka and K.R. Puram in the north and northeast, and Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar, Mysore Road, Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road in west and southwest Bangalore.

The police have put up flex boards along National Highway 4 from Hessarghatta Cross till Goraguntepalya advising people to use alternative roads.

Vehicles other than trucks going towards New BEL Circle can take any of the several small roads near and around Jalahalli Circle.

They need not get stuck at the Goraguntepalya Junction, Mr. Sood told The Hindu.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-West) Panduranga H. Rane said those going towards Rajajinagar and other parts of west and southwest Bangalore can turn right after the CMTI Junction at Goraguntepalya and take the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

Minor roads

There are a number of main and minor roads towards Rajajinagar, Kurubarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout and Basaveshwaranagar. Those bound for south Bangalore can continue on the Outer Ring Road, enter the Jnanabharathi campus to reach Mysore Road and Nayandahalli.

Mr. Rane said the department has urged the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to fill the potholes on these alternative roads which are seeing heavy traffic due to the partial closure of National Highway 4.

Mr. Sood said the police tried to get a wider road but in vain. Preference is being given to vehicles headed out of the city (through the main carriageway on the left and the service road).

Another year

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation's spokesperson said the situation will continue for at least 12 months or till the completion of the first floor of the station building. As for the bottleneck, he said he would try to get the stretch widened.