The proposed new road at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar arch that promises to ease the traffic at the busy junction may not be ready before the ongoing metro works.
The road was scheduled to be inaugurated in December, but it was delayed by six months with no sign of completion.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike acquired the land from Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board adjacent to the RR Nagar arch and began work on the 40-foot road in March 2018. The new plan allows vehicles to exit the arch and stops them from entering.
The old road and the new extension would together become a 100-feet road, while there is also a proposal to widen the Vrushabhavathi bridge, which the new road connects.
Authorities razed the bus shelter in the area to carry out the road extension, which has further inconvenienced commuters already affected by the bad roads and the maddening traffic.
"They intended to move back the bus shelter to the edge of the new road with the assurance that it would be ready in a few months," Sonam Sharma, a resident of Pattanagere, told DH.
"There's no shelter here when it rains. Waterlogging is a common problem even for a small road (like this one)," Sonam added.
The junction is seen swirling with dust from the partially damaged road where the tar has come unstuck.
A senior BBMP official said BMRCL requested the civic body to freeze the road extension work for a few days until they complete the metro work. "This (road extension) would affect their work and put commuters at more risk. So, the authorities have decided to stop it for a few days," the official added.
But Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA Munirathna Naidu denied receiving any proposals from BMRCL to freeze the road extension. "We are waiting for BMRCL to release a few patches of land. Some paper work needed to be done between the BMRCL, BBMP and BWSSB. We were unable to get it done due to the model code of conduct. I’m hopeful the paper work would be completed by next week and the road extension is finished at the earliest," he said.