Bengaluru: The Hosakerehalli flyover near PES University is finally set to open after three years of delay.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has announced that the flyover will be inaugurated in mid-November and is expected to ease congestion along the Outer Ring Road.
Construction began in August 2020 with a 15-month deadline, but stretched into a five-year ordeal, making daily commuting a nightmare. Many residents remain sceptical that the new structure will significantly reduce traffic.
“We have suffered for five years. The never-ending dust and traffic have disturbed us tremendously. But with this flyover, the traffic problem will not be solved. It will just move to PES University and Ittamadu junctions,” said Shashi Kumar, who runs a pharmacy under the flyover.
Commuters said the only benefit would be the reopening of the road from Kerekodi to Girinagar for regular traffic movement.
“Nobody had requested this ramp as there were signals at the junction and traffic was manageable. The government has inconvenienced everyone for five years for a 500-metre ramp,” said Rajashekar, an auto driver from Veerabhadranagar.
Tushar Giri Nath, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department (UDD), had set a 15-day deadline on October 10, which was missed.
A senior traffic official said a lot of work is still pending. “The debris needs to be cleared. The midweek deadline will likely not be met. For the PES Junction to be cleared, we need to close it and instruct motorists to use the next junction for U-turns,” he said. "We are hopeful that trials will begin from Monday," he added.
Trial run today
Officials said they were hopeful of starting the trial run on Monday. Senior GBA officers have ordered repairs to service roads and the commencement of trial runs.
50% work done by us, says BJP's R Ashoka
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said, “Our government started the project and completed 50% of the work when we were in power, but this government did not release funds. Contractors said they would continue the project if paid.”
On the flyover inauguration, he said, “It is almost complete and should open in about 15 days. I will pressure the government to open it for the public immediately and they can hold their formal inauguration whenever they have time.”