Hebbal flyover: Minor surgery leads to major decongestion

Upgraded approach road thrown open to public on Monday

To justify the costly steel flyover on Ballari Road, the state government always had a ready rationale: Heavy traffic congestion at the Hebbal flyover. But by just throwing open a three-lane stretch from Esteem Mall to the flyover ramp towards KR Puram on Monday, the decongestion has already begun.

The message is clear: Traffic at the junction can be streamlined by a minor surgery of Hebbal flyover and an upgrade of the approach roads. On Monday, the first of the upgrades took effect. The moment peak-hour traffic was allowed on that stretch from Kempegowda International Airport towards the flyover, the congestion visibly dropped.

Motorists noticed a big relief from the bottleneck effect. To appreciate that feeling, consider what was happening till last week: Motorists heading towards the city on a 14-lane road find the width reduced to 12 lanes at Columbia Asia Hospital and further shrunk to eight lanes at Esteem Mall. The traffic builds up, culminating in massive congestion at the flyover.

What next? Widen the flyover on the stretch that passes over the railway line towards Mehkri Circle. How can this widening from two to three lanes be achieved? “By extending the ramp from Outer Ring Road/KR Puram side over the railway line. Currently, the ramp joins the flyover just before the tracks,” explains Sanjeev Dyamannavar, urban mobility expert.

Effectively, this minor surgery would mean building an additional lane over the railway line, and a down ramp at the Hebbal masjid. But to ensure smooth flow of traffic towards Mehkri Circle, there is now another obstacle. A bus stop right after the flyover on the city side. During peak hours, parked buses occupy at least two lanes, triggering congestion.

The minor surgery and smart traffic management measures could decongest the entire area. However, in its determination to kickstart the steel flyover project, the government had decided to extend it beyond the Hebbal flyover. The project cost had ballooned from Rs 1,791 crore to Rs 2,100 crore. However, the National Highways Authority of India had raised objections, contending that the Bangalore Development Authority should get its permission before going ahead.