Commuters, especially techies, again found themselves stuck in traffic jams and were forced to abandon their vehicles, as heavy rain in parts of Bengaluru left a major flyover and some roads waterlogged on October 23.
The flooding of the 9.9 km-long elevated expressway from the Central Silk Board Junction to Electronics City slowed the traffic to almost a halt on the Hosur Road, forcing many to leave office cabs and buses to walk home. The flyover, which opened in 2010, was designed to reduce travel time to Electronics City, home to companies such as Infosys and Biocon.
The government had advised work from home and ordered schools shut after the weather department issued yellow alert for rain for October 23.
Also, read: Bengaluru rains: Karnataka forms committee with industry leaders to fix tech hub infra woes
Commuters took to social media to vent their anger. A user on the X platform, @PratikfamHouse, wrote: "Completely jammed for the past 1.5 hours on the #electroniccity flyover. I should have been home by now, 30 km away. Logged out at 5:20pm, and we're still stuck! We can see many employees of various companies frustrated and starting to walk."
Another user posted, "It took more than three hours to get from Electronic City to Silk Board. Thank God I took the police’s advice and avoided the flyover."
The traffic police closed the city end of the flyover due to waterlogging at Roopena Agrahara. Officials said Hosur Road faced heavy waterlogging at Central Silk Board, Bommanahalli, and BTM Layout 2nd Stage due to heavy rain.
Sophia Vijay (@sansofibm) wrote on X: "Complete chaos!! If there's a medical emergency in this situation, there's no chance of survival. The Electronic City flyover towards Madiwala is almost completely jammed. Vehicles haven’t moved for nearly 2.5 hours over just 2 km”
Also, read: Bengaluru rains: Silk Board has turned into a river, complain motorists. Watch
Many commuters slammed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the waterlogging on the toll road. One user remarked, "A big shoutout to your team for compounding our traffic problems in Bangalore. This is the Electronic City toll road. Jam is due to waterlogging. Super waste of taxes and toll money. Keep it up!”
Many commuters pointed that Bengaluru Metro’s Yellow Line, connecting RV Road to Bommasandra and originally scheduled for completion in December 2021, would have eased the traffic burden on Hosur Road. The section has been delayed due to the shortage of train sets.
Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) now plans to commission the line in January. "The first batch of trains will arrive by November- December 2024. The section will be launched with three train sets in January 2025, with 30-minute intervals," said a BMRCL official.
Also, read: Major stations first: Bengaluru Metro scrambles with plan B for Electronics City line due to train crunch
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
