A busy road connecting Tannery Road and Frazer Town has been blocked to rebuild a stormwater drain that cuts across the main carriageway.
The work has thrown traffic out of gear as motorists end up getting stuck on narrow and congested roads in and around Pulakeshinagar. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has promised to complete the work before the monsoon season.
"It was an old bridge, built during the British era. The areas around the bridge are flooded even if there is a modest rainfall. The work has just begun and it will be completed in the next two months," said Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, Pulakeshinagar MLA.
While the BBMP has dug up the entire road, what could determine the completion of work is the time taken to dismantle utilities such as water and sewage pipelines, which appears to be a challenging task.
Traders hope the civic body completes the work before the forthcoming monsoon.
The drain, where the BBMP is building a new bridge, receives rainwater (and sewage) from areas including SK Garden, Chinnappa Garden, and Pottery Town. The BBMP has already constructed a bridge at the junction where Wheeler Road and Assaye Road meets. This drain joins Ulsoor Lake.
Feroze Ali, an autorickshaw driver, said regular motorists are affected the most. "Vehicles commuting between Tannery Road and MM Road end up taking a long circle that is narrow and congested. The police must deploy traffic personnel all through the day," he said.
Police, for its part, have installed barricades and posters announcing the closure of Nethaji Road and the alternative routes/traffic diversions.
Check out latest DH videos here