Bengaluru’s Rs 1.80-crore skywalk on Race Course Road remains unopened with key work incomplete, including lifts, while garbage-filled stairs and a missing utility cover have raised safety concerns for pedestrians and nearby students.
The skywalk, whose construction process began in 2022, has faced repeated delays and has not been opened to the public with all planned amenities even after about three years. Residents and pedestrians told Bangalore Mirror that the incomplete structure is creating hazards instead of providing a safe crossing facility.
A missing cover over a utility chamber is posing a danger to people using the area, particularly senior citizens, according to residents. The unfinished lift facilities have also left the project without one of the amenities intended to improve access to the skywalk.
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, founder of Heritage Beku, said workers had initially created pits for the lifts but had not made the staircase. Although the staircase was later constructed, the lifts remained incomplete, she said. Rajagopal added that she had sent a video of the problem to an engineer about a month ago but had not received a response.
She said she had raised the issue around five times with the TEC engineer and questioned the need for the skywalk, pointing out that a traffic signal was located about 200 metres away. She also said there were three bus stops on each side of the road and that the structure had occupied pedestrian space without serving its intended purpose.
The stairs have also become a maintenance concern. “The stairs of the skywalk are full of garbage. I want the BCCC workers to keep the stairs of the skywalk clean and also complete pending works as early as possible,” pedestrian Narayana B said.
The project’s delay has previously affected pedestrians, including students of Government Ramnarayan Chellaram College. Bangalore Mirror reported in December 2022 that the contractor had dug up the footpath on Race Course Road and then failed to continue the work. The then BBMP engineer-in-chief, BS Prahlad, said the BBMP had decided to relocate the skywalk a few hundred metres from the location where the footpath had been excavated.
The project again drew attention in November 2023 after it missed its completion deadline. At the time, students and pedestrians were reported to be waiting for a safer crossing arrangement.
The latest concerns also highlight an administrative gap around a public project that remains incomplete while occupying space used by pedestrians. The available account does not establish a revised completion date or explain the status of the contractor’s pending work.
A BCCC executive engineer said the authorities concerned would be informed and asked to address the problems at the skywalk. The next steps are expected to include action on the missing utility cover, cleaning of the stairs and completion of the lifts and other pending works.
