Bengaluru: In yet another confirmation of Bengaluru’s odious traffic, hundreds of vehicles were stuck for hours after a 100-metre stretch of Hosur Road on NH-44 collapsed early Wednesday, turning the crucial road link into disarray. The cave-in occurred at Chandapura on the stretch — a lifeline to Bengaluru-bound vehicles from Tamil Nadu and Kerala as also within the city — inside Karnataka.National Highways Authority of India is carrying out construction work at the spot to build a vehicular overpass.
The incident led to traffic snarls, with vehicles tailgating for hours. Among the affected were public transport users and motorists heading to Electronics City and other office spaces. The situation worsened during peak hours.Motorists using Hosur Road are unlikely to get immediate relief from traffic congestion as construction activity is under way at multiple locations along the stretch. The works are expected to take at least two more years for completion. NHAI is spending ₹175 crore on building vehicular underpasses and widening the highway at four locations within the Karnataka stretch of NH-44.On Wednesday, city buses operating from Attibele were also stuck. Nitin Kumar, a commuter, said, “The six-lane road has been reduced to just two lanes. For months, motorists faced traffic issues, but there was no relief from the authorities. People are taking 2-3 hours to reach Attibele from Bommasandra, a distance of just about 12km.”An NHAI official said excavation work was carried out to facilitate construction works at Chandapura. “Due to heavy traffic congestion, including the round-the-clock movement of heavy trucks, vibrations and loosening of soil, a portion of the road caved in. Following the incident, instructions were issued to the contractor to immediately take up backfilling work, and measures are being implemented to prevent any further cave-in,” the official said.The NHAI official added that on the opposite side of the affected stretch, work is under way to build a four-lane road, and traffic will be diverted shortly to ease congestion. In addition to NHAI’s work, Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) is constructing a railway overbridge at the location to widen the existing two-lane road into a four-lane stretch.Sreejith, a motorist, said, “Every time we drive from Kerala to Bengaluru, the Attibele stretch is a nightmare. We cover nearly 300km through Kerala and Tamil Nadu with ease, and we get stuck at the last lap. By then, we are tired and hoping to get home soon. What awaits us at the Bengaluru entry point is a long queue of vehicles navigating roadworks. The lack of civic sense among some drivers makes it worse.”++++CLEARING ACCIDENT BLACKSPOTS* NHAI took up road identified four accident blackspots on NH-44: Chandapura, Guddahatti, Huskur and Guestline* Work at Chandapura junction was taken up last year with excavation * Due to heavy traffic, round-the-clock movement of heavy-duty trucks, vibrations and loosening of soil, a portion of road caved in* Contractor instructed to immediately take up repairs; measures implemented to prevent any further cave-ins* No relief for at least two years as construction is on at multiple locations on the stretch* NHAI spending ₹175 crore on building underpasses and widening the highway at four locations within the Karnataka stretch of NH-44
