NHAI to ban two-wheelers and autos on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway from August 1

Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) starting August 1 will enforce a ban on slow-moving vehicles, including two-wheelers and autorickshaws, from using the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway (NH-275).

The categories of vehicles affected by this ban include motorcycles (including scooters and other two-wheelers), three-wheelers (including e-carts and e-rickshaws), non-motorised vehicles, tractors (with or without trailers), multi-axle hydraulic trailer vehicles, and quadricycles.

In a gazette notification dated July 12, NHAI stated the "movement of high-speed vehicles pose risk to the safety of certain classes of comparatively slow moving vehicles - two-wheelers, three-wheelers and other slow-moving vehicles like non-motorized vehicles, agricultural tractors (with or without trailers) due to their vulnerability and associated speed differentials and compromise the road safety aspects".

The NHAI has exercised its powers under section 35 of 'The Control of National Highways (land and Traffic) Act 2022' to enact this prohibition.

The Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway is a six-lane fully access-controlled highway that stretches from Panchamukhi temple in Kengeri, connecting Ramanagara and Mandya districts in Karnataka, and terminating near Manipal hospital junction in Mysuru. NHAI has set maximum speed limits for various categories of motor vehicles on the access-controlled highway, ranging between 80 km/h and 100 km/h.

Between January and June 2023, Bengaluru- Mysuru expressway witnessed a total of 512 accidents, resulting in 123 fatalities and leaving 585 individuals with serious injuries. Out of these incidents, 245 accidents occurred on the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta stretch of the highway.

Following the accidents, NHAI formed a committee of road safety experts to conduct safety inspections and they visited the section on July 20.

READ: Bengaluru-Mysuru in 75-90 minutes. All you need to know about the new expressway

The 118 km long Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway, a part of NH-275, was opened to traffic in March 2023. The highway has significantly reduced travel time between the two cities to just 75 minutes.

The corridor includes 4 rail overbridges, 9 major bridges, 40 minor bridges, 89 underpasses and overpasses, and 6 bypasses, aimed at resolving traffic congestion and facilitating smoother movement for the public in towns such as Bidadi, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya, and Srirangapatna. The access-controlled highway provides inter-state connectivity between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, reducing travel time to cities like Coorg, Srirangapatna, Wayanad, and Ooty.

READ: 44 motorists booked for overspeeding on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway on day 1