Underpass work to add to traffic on Varthur bridge

Before it could be fully repaired, the Varthur bridge will endure unsustainable levels of traffic as work on an underpass at Kundalahalli junction in Whitefield begins.

Kundalahalli junction is a vital link to the areas in IT corridor like ITPL, Hoodi, Marathahalli, Domlur and other surrounding areas.

Heavy vehicles roll by this junction in their thousands from places like Hoskote, Kadugodi, Whitefield, Varthur and Sarjapura.

When the underpass work at the junction picks up, all the vehicles will be routed through Belagere road, which is also the only alternative for commuters to circumvent the traffic snarl at the junction.

“Office-goers choose the shortest and the most convenient route,” said Naveen A, a commuter. “Google Maps suggests Belagere road as the best route to reach IT corridors around Marathahalli and Bellandur.”

And here is the catch: vehicles must first pass through the Varthur bridge to reach Belagere road.

The heavy traffic will be an added stress on the bridge, which, regular commuters say, has begun to wobble again. “The BBMP has completed the grouting work, but is yet to seal the cracks with the bonding agent,” said Jagadish Reddy, Varthur lake warden.

Reddy said residents are alerting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on the repeatedly developing cracks and have urged the civic body to take action. “Until the new bridge (adjacent to the old one) comes up, we’ve to commute with fear and anger,” Reddy added.

The repair work should have been completed three months ago. Now, BBMP officials say it would go on for two more weeks. “The delay is due to paucity of labour. We’ve the materials ready on site and will finish the work soon,” a BBMP official said.

The Palike’s chief engineer KT Nagaraj said work for the underpass has just begun at Kundalahalli junction. “Right now, we’re sorting out water pipes and Bescom utilities,” he said.