New underbridge on Bengaluru's Tannery Road set to bring down traffic woes

The traffic situation on Tannery Road could significantly improve in a month with the opening of the new railway underbridge by the end of May.

The South Western Railway (SWR) is currently in the process of building a new railway underbridge next to the Pulakeshinagar underbridge, linking Tannery Road to Haines Road. This initiative aims to alleviate congestion in the vicinity of the Bangalore East railway station, which frequently experiences high volumes of traffic.

The construction of the underbridge, measuring seven meters wide and four meters high, comes at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore. Railway officials have opted for precast arches to expedite the construction process. They have projected a tentative completion date of May 31, which includes the construction and clearance of approach roads leading to the underbridge.

An official who spoke to DH said the choice to precast the supportive structure and walls for the underbridge was made to expedite the construction process.

"Casting at site below the track directly involves keeping the temporary girders on the track for longer periods,” said an engineer working at the site.

"Speed restrictions of the trains have to also be continued for a long time. It is also not advisable to do so, safety-wise," he added.

Impact on traffic

The newly constructed underbridge serves as a vital intersection connecting Tannery Road, Haines Road, Bore Bank Road, Pottery Road, and MM Road. Presently, vehicles approaching the existing underbridge from four different directions must wait at the signal before proceeding.

Once the new underbridge opens for traffic movement, vehicles coming from Pottery Road towards Haines Road and Netaji Road will be allowed to take a free left, said an officer attached to the Pulakeshinagar traffic police station.

"There will be no signals for vehicles moving to and from the Tannery Road-Haines Road stretch, so they will continue to flow through the day. Those coming from Bore Bank Road will also have a free left onto Tannery Road, so it will become a signal-free junction,” the officer said.

For vehicles travelling from Pottery Road towards Tannery Road, the route now involves utilising the new one-way underbridge, followed by a right turn near the GK Vale Studio on Netaji Road, leading to the use of the existing underbridge.