Bengaluru’s New Diagonal Road in Jayanagar will be reopened until civil works begin, after residents and businesses protested a 10-day traffic closure during which white-topping work had not started, according to traffic police and Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-Smile) officials cited by The Times of India.
The closure has affected traders, office-goers and residents on the road. Residents said utility shifting and construction of an underground stormwater drain had already disrupted traffic on the stretch for more than three months. A portion of New Diagonal Road was then blocked for traffic for about 10 days in preparation for white-topping work, but residents said no construction activity was visible.
A group of residents raised the issue on Thursday, questioning why the road remained shut when work had yet to begin. Ajay Malik, a resident, said people were prepared to cooperate with the project if construction was underway, but the closure had created problems for those working and operating shops along the road.
“A portion of New Diagonal Road has been closed for traffic, forcing us to park our vehicles away from our offices and shops. There is no work going on currently, nor are vehicles being allowed to ply,” Malik said, according to the report.
Traffic police personnel told residents that permission had been granted for a three-month closure from the first week of October, based on a request from B-Smile. They said the road would be reopened after that period unless the agency submitted a fresh request for continued closure.
After residents contacted the B-Smile executive engineer in charge of the project, they were assured that the road would be reopened until the civil works began on Monday. The executive engineer attributed the delay to a shortage of labourers during the festive season and said the contractor had been instructed to open the cross roads to reduce inconvenience to residents and commuters.
The official said the white-topping work could be completed in less than a week once it starts. The completed surface would then require a curing period of about 21 days before the road could be fully used, according to the report.
The disruption comes as several roads in Jayanagar are undergoing white-topping, including Aurobindo Marg, Maiya’s Hotel Road and Diagonal Road. The New Diagonal Road issue highlights the operational difficulty created when traffic restrictions begin before the linked utility and civil works are ready to proceed.
For residents and businesses, the immediate concern is the gap between the approved closure period and actual construction activity. The latest assurance is that the road will remain open until the next phase of civil works begins, with cross-road access also to be addressed. Work is expected to start Monday, followed by the stated construction and curing schedule.
