BENGALURU, 3 JULY

City commuters are facing the brunt of traffic congestion on Tannery Road, Bore Bank Road, CK Garden, Jayamahal and adjoining areas due to the delayed railway underpass project. The underpass built at the cost of Rs 4 crore, intended to ease traffic congestion around Bengaluru East railway station, has been hit with a major delay in completion. The initial target for the project completion was 31 May and a revised timeline remains unclear, adding to the woes of daily commuters.

Commuters have been forced to take longer, circuitous routes to bypass the construction zone, leading to substantial increases in daily travel times. Speaking to Salar News, everyday commuter Ramesh Kumar P said, “What should be a 35-minute ride has turned into an hour-and-a-half long nightmare. The roads are choked, and the lack of progress on the underpass is extremely frustrating.” Sujatha D, another local resident said, “It’s like we are stuck in an endless loop of traffic every day. The authorities need to expedite the work as we cannot continue like this.”

When asked about the cause for the delay, Ranga Reddy, an engineer from the South Western Railways (SWR) working at the site told Salar News, “The main reason for the delay is the rains that started all of a sudden which is why we could not continue with the laying of the electric lines underground. We will begin the work within this week and will hopefully finish the construction on this side by the end of this month.”

When asked about the restrictions for the trains passing on the bridge, Reddy emphasised that the trains are advised to slow down when crossing that stretch. “Once the construction is completed, we will start the work on the other side of the underpass so that the road is wider for the heavy vehicles to move freely. This will allow free flow of traffic from all the four sides of the junction.” Reddy said. Salar News