Southeastern parts of the Outer Ring Road saw hours-long traffic jams on Tuesday morning after a long truck hit a roadside tree and broke down on the busy beltway.
Vehicle users, especially those headed to offices in the ORR tech hub, complained on social media about being stuck for hours between Silk Board Junction and Bellandur.
The tree fell down after a truck carrying an unusual load struck it around 7 am near the military gate of the service road from 27th Main towards Iblur on the Outer Ring Road. The tree blocked most of the carriageway towards Iblur, causing traffic to pile up from the Silk Board Junction side.
The ongoing metro work on the Blue Line (Silk Board-KR Pura) has already shrunk parts of the ORR.
Sujeetha Salman, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, South), confirmed that the congestion was caused by the truck. She added that efforts were underway to remove the vehicle and asked commuters to take alternative roads.
Many vehicle users said that it took them nearly an hour to cover a distance of two kilometres. Some wondered why the humongous truck was allowed onto the service road in the first place.
Other road users complained that the traffic police had quietly reversed a decision to ban heavy vehicles, especially trucks, within the city limits from 8 am to 8 pm.
The blockage was removed only around noon.
Sujeetha said traffic police personnel worked with fire and emergency services staff, Bescom and BMRCL officials to remove the truck and restore traffic.
Published 16 May 2023, 20:32 IST