No end in sight to jams at 'orphaned' Sarakki signal

The 4 corners of the intersection belong to 4 different Assembly constituencies

Traffic snarls at the Sarakki traffic signal (Jaraganahalli Circle) on Kanakapura Road stretch for as long as two km during peak hours and during weekends.

This intersection of National Highway 209 with the Outer Ring Road is also a major hurdle to the proposed signal-free corridor from Nayandahalli to Silk Board junction along the outer ring road. The Sarakki signal, with its agonising traffic jams, has earned the name as the "second Silk Board junction" from many commuters.

One of the reasons why there is no relief from this ordeal for so long is that the signal seems to be nobody's child. The four corners of the intersection belong to four different Assembly constituencies — Bengaluru South, Padmanabhanagar, Jayanagar and parts of Bommanahalli. Before the Assembly elections, the MLAs had mentioned this as the main reason why no initiative was being taken by local leaders to solve the traffic menace.

Pavitra N, who lives near Konanakunte, said there was hope when Namma Metro work was taken up on Kanakapura Road. "It used to take me two hours to reach Konanakunte Cross from Banashankari when construction was going on. Now the metro has been launched, but the problem persists. Crossing the Sarakki signal is a real pain," she added.

A year ago, Vijayan Rao, a resident of Temple Trees apartment on Kanakapura Road, had tried approaching the government and the local leaders to solve the issue, but he says he has not received any response so far.

"When metro piers were being erected at the Sarakki signal, I had spoken to one of the BMRCL engineers asking him if an underpass can be constructed at this junction to make it signal-free despite the existence of the piers. The engineer said it was possible and that it would not affect the metro piers. However, it required the expertise of an engineer to take up the work," said Rao.

The Sarakki signal connects JP Nagar with Ilyas Nagar along the Outer Ring Road and Banashankari with Konanakunte along Kanakapura Road. The Green Line metro runs here until Yelachenahalli.

K T Nagaraj, Chief Engineer (Road Infrastructure Projects), BBMP, said the Sarakki junction was not initially part of the signal-free corridor project but could be included now. "Owing to the Metro work, we did not touch the Sarakki junction for some time. Now that the work has been completed there, we need to do a feasibility study at the intersection to find an option to ease the traffic congestion," he said.

He ruled out building an underpass since a stormwater drain runs toward Ilyasnagar and said the only other option was a flyover. "Since there should be a gap of at least 5.5 metres between the Metro and a tall vehicle plying on the flyover, we need to study the junction first. If funds are allocated, the Sarakki junction can be included in the signal-free corridor project," he added.