Bengaluru Traffic Police have proposed 25 new flyovers and underpasses at congested junctions and railway crossings as the city’s vehicle population approaches 1.50 crore and traffic pressure intensifies across major corridors.
The proposal covers 246 junctions identified by the police as facing severe traffic pressure. The wider package submitted to the Greater Bengaluru Authority includes 2,340 traffic signs, thermoplastic lane markings at 707 locations, removal of unscientifically designed speed breakers, corrective work at 137 waterlogging spots, relocation of 103 bus stops, 63 new bus bays, more than 100 skywalks and multi-level parking complexes at 66 locations.
A senior traffic police official said adaptive traffic signals had received administrative approval for 110 additional junctions. The system will be introduced and maintained for five years at a cost of Rs 56.45 crore, with the tender process under way. Automatic traffic control signals have already been installed at 169 junctions, according to the official.
The state government has also approved 11 elevated corridors covering 75.60 km at a cost of Rs 13,262.70 crore. Traffic police have asked the GBA chief commissioner to direct the concerned agencies to act quickly, saying the proposed structures are essential for the city’s future.
The proposed locations include the Pottery Road and Lingarajapuram railway underpasses, Nagawara Junction, the stretch between Pottery Junction and Nagawara Junction, Jayanthinagar near Banaswadi, Bhattarahalli near KR Puram, Kundalahalli Road’s HSR U-turn, KR Puram railway station, Phoenix Mall Junction and Big Bazaar Junction in Mahadevapura.
Other locations listed include the Binny Mill railway gate on Magadi Road, SM Circle at Jalahalli Cross, Chokkasandra in T Dasarahalli, Hesaraghatta Cross, CMTI Junction on Tumakuru Road, Hebbal Junction on the Outer Ring Road, NES Junction in Yelahanka, Sadahalli Gate near Chikkajala, the K2 bus stop-Hebbal Junction stretch in Sanjaynagar, Bharatiya City Junction in Hennur, Sarakki Junction, JD Mara Junction and Iblur Junction.
The traffic police have identified Bellary Road, Old Madras Road, Old Airport Road, Sarjapur Road, Bannerghatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Mysuru Road, Magadi Road, Tumakuru Road, West of Chord Road and the Outer Ring Road as high-density corridors.
Bengaluru currently has 42 flyovers and 28 underpasses. The city adds more than 2,000 new vehicles every day, while lakhs of vehicles from neighbouring districts and states also enter and leave it daily. Traffic police said rising vehicle numbers, narrow roads, ongoing roadworks, poor parking discipline and low dependence on public transport continue to strain the road network despite metro expansion, public transport improvements and road widening.
Silk Board, Electronic City, Whitefield, Hebbal, Tumakuru Road and Mysuru Road remain among the city’s recurring congestion points. The next steps are the tendering of the adaptive traffic signal project and action by the GBA and other concerned agencies on the proposed structures and traffic-management measures.
