Bengaluru: The 119 km Bengaluru-Mysuru highway is every driver's dream. But Bengalururs who want to experience the thrill of a highway journey will first have to experience the nightmare of traversing the 15 km stretch from the Town Hall to the entry point of the access-controlled corridor near the Panchamukhi Ganesha temple on Mysuru Road.
Poor design and potholes affect drivers' driving experience on the route within the city, negating the highway's great advantage of significantly reducing travel time between the two cities.
It is worst at peak times and during the holiday season. In the evening, especially after 6 p.m., bumper-to-bumper crawling occurs and drivers take more than an hour to reach the highway. The reasons are many: poorly maintained roads with potholes, chaotic intersections and unplanned road design.
Four major bottlenecks on the route exacerbate the problem. The Sri Balgangadharanatha Swamy flyover exit is a bottleneck where vehicles randomly meet each other, resulting in long queues and delayed traffic. The signal at the Bapuji Nagar toll plaza is another traffic gridlock with vehicles often spilling onto adjacent roads and causing chaos. Many buses, cars and private vehicles converge at the Satellite Bus Stand intersection, resulting in frequent traffic delays. The Kengeri satellite bus stop also experiences longer waiting times as it is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of vehicles.
Manish M, a resident of Vijayanagar, said poor road design is the main cause of suffering. The Mysuru Road suddenly becomes narrow after Kengeri and before the NICE Road junction, resulting in a bottleneck, he said. “It takes me around 20 minutes to reach RR Nagar but from there it is a nightmare to get onto the access-controlled highway. Vehicles exiting NICE Road enter the road at the junction near Challaghatta. This traffic jam is frustrating,” he said.
Sahana R, who travels from RR Nagar to Mysuru every weekend, described the experience as annoying. “What’s the point of having a highway if you have to waste hours getting there? The road leading there is a disaster, and the holiday rush is making it worse,” she said.
“At Challaghatta Junction, a critical junction near the NICE Road exit, there is heavy traffic congestion as vehicles coming from multiple directions converge on a single lane. The lack of proper traffic management and inadequate signage further complicate the situation. The problem worsens during the holiday season when “travellers heading to Mysuru, Kodagu and beyond are often stuck for hours before even reaching the highway toll plaza,” she added.
The delays are not only inconvenient but also lead to fuel wastage and increased vehicle pollution. Motorists have called on authorities to address these issues. Ajit Nayak, a resident of Kengeri, suggested repairing potholes and ensuring smoother road surfaces as a first step towards alleviating the problem.
“BBMP needs to redesign bottlenecks like Challaghatta to accommodate traffic volume and ensure seamless merging. Improved traffic management, such as deploying additional staff during peak hours and implementing intelligent traffic systems, could regulate traffic flow. Infrastructure improvements such as construction of flyovers or underpasses at key intersections are also critical,” he told TOI. “BBMP should build an elevated corridor from the town hall to the highway toll plaza to decongest traffic and have down ramps to reach places like RR Nagar, Kengeri, Nayanadahalli and Hosakerehalli Road.”