Bengaluru airport stretch gets a long-awaited breather; service road opens in Jakkur

Bengaluru: In a major boost to the city’s northern connectivity, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has completed the long-awaited service road at Jakkur.

The project, which had faced several delays, is now open, promising to decongest one of the most bottleneck-prone areas on the way to Kempegowda International Airport.

Commuters from Sahakarnagar and Yelahanka have long complained about the chaotic merge at Jakkur, where local traffic often collides with high-speed airport-bound vehicles. The opening of the service road is expected to effectively segregate local commuters from highway traffic.

“You had to merge into high-speed airport traffic just to go two kilometres down the road,” said a cab driver.

Daily commuters who use the stretch to reach Hebbal also expressed satisfaction. “The bottleneck at the aerodrome gate used to add 20 minutes to my commute every morning,” said Anirudh S. “With the service road now open, the flow feels much more organised. We just hope the authorities ensure there is no illegal parking here.”

Jayaprakash, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, North), said: “The road has reduced the traffic that previously led to slow movement at Jakkur Cross. We are seeing a significant reduction in peak-hour congestion on the main carriageway now, as local residents will no longer be forced onto the highway for short commutes.”