A file photo of Hunsur Road in Mysuru.
Credit: DH File Photo
Mysuru: Mysuru district administration is gearing up for two mega projects at the heart of the city. The process of preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for proposed elevated flyover/grade separators on Hunsur road corridor and Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai (JLB) road corridor in Mysuru city limits is under way and it is likely to be ready in a few weeks.
Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, few tourism stakeholders, and NGO members have opposed these projects to "protect the heritage value, save environment, old trees and the original natural beauty of Mysuru and its quality of life". The MP has proposed metro or tunnel roads instead.
The Public Works Department Mysuru division has involved private company — Vistaara Infra Consultants — for the preparation of the DPR at the cost of Rs 480 lakh. The soil test or procedure of borelogs is on at the ground level. If the proposal is approved and funds are granted, these will be implemented in three years at a cost of about Rs 2,300 crore.
770 trees
With these projects, as per an estimate, the city is expected to lose about 770 trees. The PWD officials said, "We are finding an agency which can transplant these trees."
Hunsur Road corridor
A continuous elevated four-lane corridor is proposed on Hunsur Road or Vinoba Road for a distance of 5.4 km from Field Marshal K M Cariappa (Metropole) junction to Atal Bihari Vajpeyee (Hinkal) junction (a convergence point with NH 275-Ring Road).
The existing four-lane road is proposed at the ground level to serve local traffic. They plan to create an entry ramp on the left side and exit ramp on the right side at Kalamandir junction; exit ramp on the right side at St Joseph's School junction; an entry ramp on the left side and exit ramp on the right side at Aishwarya petrol bunk junction.
JLB Road corridor
On JLB Road, between the railway station junction and JSS College junction, four vehicular underpasses are proposed based on existing ground profile — near Field Marshal K M Cariappa (Metropole) junction, Devaraj Urs Road junction, Javagal Srinath junction and Ramaswamy Circle. They have proposed a four-lane elevated road/flyover from Srikanteshwara Iyer/RTO junction to JSS College junction.
Officials claim that the average traffic on the Hunsur Road corridor is more than 60,000 vehicles per day, which increases during weekends. Mysuru city has more than 10 lakh registered vehicles as of November 2025, stressing existing infrastructure. The traffic near RTO junction on JLB Road alone has increased by more than 60 per cent from 18,000 passenger car units (PCUs)/day in 2015 to 30,000 PCU/day in 2025. Traffic projections show a rise to 96,000 PCU/day by 2045. So the new projects, on JLB Road alone will reduce travel time (at a speed of 60km/h) from 18-24 minutes to just five to seven minutes. They have proposed this to ease the traffic and also with a vision of future growth of Mysuru for next 25 years. They even plan to make provision for metro projects along these two stretches, they said.
Founding working president of Mysore Grahakara Parishat Bhamy V Shenoy said, "Besides destruction of trees, these projects will destroy the old charm of Mysuru and make it another concrete jungle like Bengaluru."
Major Gen Sudhir G Vombatkere (retd) said, "These flyovers violate heritage and environmental values and norms. There should be scientific traffic surveys by an expert body that shows traffic density (non-Dasara) that may justify these flyovers. The internationally accepted best practice to remedy traffic congestion is to invest in providing efficient public transport of many more buses, and simultaneously impose monetary disincentives for owning, parking and driving four-wheelers. The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and district administration must take urgent, well-thought-through action about these projects, after consulting Mysureans — the primary stakeholders, local civic bodies like MGP, urban planners and professional engineering bodies like Mysuru Local Centre of The Institution of Engineers (India)."
Mysore Hotel Owners' Association president C Narayana Gowda said, "The core heritage area of Mysuru should be preserved as it is. Flyovers are necessary only on the Ring Road. Entry of heavy vehicles to the city area should be restricted. With the Mysore City Corporation being upgraded to Bruhat Mysuru Mahanagara Palike, they should develop areas around Mysuru as satellite towns which will reduce movement of vehicles inside the city."
Parashurame Gowda, general secretary, People for Environment, said "We will discuss with experts about sustainable alternatives for these projects and decide our stand about it".