Bengaluru: ‘Double-decker flyover has shifted the congestion’

While the double-decker flyover has cut down commute time at the infamous Silk Board junction significantly, some Bengalureans complain it has thrown up new congestion points since it partially opened on July 17.

The lower deck is open for vehicular movement on one side, offering signal-free travel from Ragigudda towards HSR Layout, Bommanahalli and Electronics City. But the ramp that will allow travel from HSR Layout back to Ragigudda and also BTM Layout is under construction.

HSR Layout

Software engineer Manu, who travels from R R Nagar to Marathahalli for work, says “HSR Layout is the new Silk Board”. He explains, “All the traffic
that used to pile up at the Silk Board junction has shifted to HSR Layout where one of the ramps exit.”

His commute has not become faster. He says, “I used to take 20-30 minutes to go from HSR Layout to Marathahalli during the rush hour. Now it takes 45 minutes to an hour.” He now plans to leave for work at 11 am, during the “non-rush hour”.

A performance marketing professional, Arun Antony has also noticed the shift. “Because of the flyover, vehicles from Ragigudda are reaching HSR Layout faster and mixing up with the traffic headed to Bellandur,” he says.

Auto driver Sivakumar who plies the Jayanagar-BTM Layout route says the situation is “bad” only between 8 am and 10 am. “But right turns on Marenahalli Road (from Banashankari metro station towards Jayadeva hospital) have been blocked. It is affecting people getting back towards J P Nagar,” he says.

Roopena Agrahara

Antony says the clogging around the Silk Board junction like in BTM Layout, where he lives, has eased up. “But Roopena Agrahara in Bommanahalli has got crowded!” he says. It is a little ahead of where the other ramp of the flyover exits. It is also where the
Electronics City flyover starts.

J P Nagar

Residents of J P Nagar and Jayanagar are now complaining of increased congestion. “I guess people from Banashankari and Kanakapura Road are passing by to access the flyover,” says Sahana Kulur.

New diversions before the Raghavendra Swamy Mutta junction have compounded their woes since the flyover opened.

Sahana, an architect, explains, “I usually travel from J P Nagar to Jayanagar. Earlier, it used to be a straight ride via this junction. Now they have barricaded it. We have to take a left, then hit the Rajalakshmi junction, which is usually busy, and take a U-turn to reach the circle and proceed to Jayanagar. My commute time has doubled.”

J P Nagar resident Shruthi Raghunanda is familiar with this “nuisance”. “Currently, the flyover is a blessing for people who live further away and who use it primarily for commuting to work. The same can’t be said for locals,” the freelance emcee says.

‘Congestion not that significant’

DCP Traffic, South, Shiva Prakash Devaraju, says the Roopena Agrahara-Bommanahalli stretch is bound to get clogged because traffic from HSR Layout, Adugodi and Jayanagar converges here. “It has become a little more congested but it’s not causing long jams as the road is quite wide,” he shared.

About intervention on the J P Nagar side, he said, “We are avoiding U-turns at Aurobindo junction, which you need to take to access the flyover when coming from J P Nagar, Jayanagar and Banashankari. We have allowed U-turn from Rajalakshmi junction because it has a greater holding area. That is going well.”

He acknowledged the bottlenecks at HSR Layout. He said they will continue signalling, especially on 5th Main Road, so the stretch from the flyover leading to Iblur doesn’t get choked. “If Iblur gets choked, Bellandur gets choked,” he said. He said overall, the congestion is not significant.