Kumbalgodu flyover gridlock frustrates weekend Mysuru-Bengaluru highway users

Bengaluru: Imagine zipping your way without a hitch on a weekend inter-city drive, stretching over nearly 120 km. With the weather not playing truant and if driving is a passion, that's one long drive that many motorists will usually be looking forward to – probably singing along with the car audio system belting out one chartbuster after another all the way, and with Sunday luncheon or dinner plans at the back of their minds livening up the mood further.
But that's in an ideal world.Jump cut to reality.
Motorists driving down from Mysuru to Bengaluru last Sunday took one hour to cover just the 1-km stretch from Panchamukhi Ganesha Temple to NICE Road Junction, after a breeze of a drive through 117 km on the access-controlled highway.
Reason? Severe congestion brought traffic on the Kumbalgodu elevated corridor to a crawl.
With more than 70,000 vehicles using the Bengaluru-Mysuru National Highway during weekends, massive traffic snarls on the elevated corridor between Bengaluru city and the highway are the norm rather than the exception.
As a panacea to this gridlock, there are suggestions to build a tunnel road from Panchamukhi Ganesha Temple to the NICE Road side.
Kalyan V, a motorist, said: "During weekends, entering and exiting the highway using the Kumbalgodu elevated corridor is an exasperating experience. The bumper-to-bumper traffic on the flyover is frustrating. The time saved by covering 117 km on the highway is lost in the crawl from Challaghatta to Deepanjali Nagar. It is appalling that the authorities are yet to find a solution."
Weighing in on the issue, a senior police officer from Kumbalgodu police station said: "The 1 km stretch from NICE Road Junction to Panchamukhi Ganesha Temple has turned into a major bottleneck for multiple reasons. Many motorists, to avoid the toll gate, hit the service road and end up blocking those heading towards the elevated corridor."
He added: "On the other hand, there is no seamless access for those who want to use NICE Road after exiting the highway. NHAI [National Highways Authority of India] has been saying that the congested stretch falls under the jurisdiction of BBMP [Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike]. We had written to the BBMP's zonal office, requesting them to address these issues. The congestion is also impacting residents of several areas, including Kumbalgodu, Kambipuara, Ramohalli Road, Doddabale."
The police officer's view was echoed by a source at NHAI, saying that the civic authority must sort out this mess.
BBMP has pointed fingers at NHAI for the chaotic traffic situation. BBMP engineer-in-chief BS Prahalad said, "When NHAI had proposed the construction of a toll road, we had suggested an elevated corridor should be constructed till NICE Road Junction providing seamless access to traffic moving out of the city. When they were executing a project worth thousands of crores and charging toll, that shouldn't have been a major concern. But it didn't happen. Now they say they can't take up construction works in BBMP limits."
Exploring the tunnel road option
Bengaluru Rural MP Dr C N Manjunath said officials of NHAI suggested that the feasibility of constructing a tunnel road from Panchamukhi Ganesha Temple to NICE Road could be explored.
Saying that the project could cost around Rs 500 crore, Dr Manjunath added: "I will approach the state govt and the Union minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, to address the issue."
NICE proposes integration
NICE has proposed integration of NICE Road with the National Highway near Bidadi. A source in NICE said: "Once integrated, motorists coming from the Mysuru side will be able to reach PES Junction directly. The total distance is 21 km, of which, 13 km has already been constructed."
However, he added: "For want of 95 acres of land at various locations, the rest of the project is stalled. On the other hand, NICE is constructing a 1-km road from BHEL Junction to PES. Once that is completed, motorists will be able to avoid the Mysuru Road stretch within the city limits to reach the highway." A source in NHAI said it is yet to receive a comprehensive proposal on integrating the highway with NICE Road.
Criss-crossing of traffic
From the city side, traffic is coming from Kengeri, Tumakuru Road, and Kanakapura Road, down NICE Road. Most of these vehicles hit the service roads located below the elevated corridors. However, vehicles heading towards the service road end up disrupting traffic headed towards the highway. This criss-crossing of traffic adds to the gridlock. Scope for road-widening is limited with the elevated Metro corridor in the vicinity.
Installing closed toll gates may help
NHAI is proposing construction of ‘closed toll gates' at entry and exit points. "At present, many motorists, to avoid paying tolls, are exiting the highway and using the service roads," NHAI sources said.
Approval for FoB
NHAI has given the go-ahead for the construction of a footover-bridge (FoB) near Challaghatta Metro station. BMRCL will construct the FoB.