<p>Bengaluru: An "unforeseen technical problem" in launching a sliding girder on Namma Metro's Blue Line (Phase 2A) triggered traffic chaos in southern and southeastern Bengaluru on Wednesday. </p>.<p>While Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) did not specify the technical problem, the traffic police said that the sliding girder at 14th Main in HSR Layout had tilted. </p>.<p>The issue necessitated the closure of the flyover on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in HSR Layout from 14th to 19th Main. The problem was compounded by the closure of the double-deck flyover, which links Ragigudda to Silk Board Junction. </p>.<p>The two flyovers connect major IT hubs like Marathahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Electronics City, and Silk Board Junction as well as residential areas like BTM Layout, Jayanagar, and JP Nagar. </p>.<p>Traffic bound for Silk Board Junction was diverted via 19th Main and 5th Main. Vehicles headed towards Hosur Road were asked to take a left at 6th Main and travel towards MCHS Colony. </p>.<p>Many commuters said that they were stuck in traffic for two to three hours. </p>.<p>Traffic police personnel were deployed at various locations to divert vehicular movement towards HSR layout, including Marathahalli bridge, Kadubeesanahalli, Silk Board Junction, and Sarjapur Road. </p>.<p>The traffic police said that the vehicular flow hadn't eased since 6 am and was expected to get worse. </p>.<p>Sandeep Krishnamurthy, who travels from RR Nagar to HSR Layout for work, said that the usual 30-minute route took him an hour and 45 minutes. </p>.<p>"The authorities could have made an announcement in advance so that we could have planned our travels. I started at 9 am and reached my office at 10.45 am,” he said. </p>.<p>Yashaswini, who takes a bus from Banashankari to Ecospace in Bellandur, said it took her three hours to reach office. "Traffic was at a standstill before it started to move slowly for nearly two hours,” she said. </p>.<p>Yashaswini left office at 6 pm. "Half an hour into the journey and the third bus stop hasn't reached yet," she said in the evening. </p>.<p>A cab driver said that it took him nearly an hour and 50 minutes to reach HSR Layout from Mahadevapura. </p>.<p>While the service road below the HSR flyover was choked with bumper-to-bumper traffic at 2 pm when this reporter visited the spot, the potholed road also left a lot to be desired. </p>.<p>Shiva Prakash Devaraju, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, South), explained that commuters were advised to take alternative routes from HSR 19th Main via 17th Cross and 5th Main, which is interior HSR Layout, while also diverting traffic towards MCHS Colony to manage traffic coming from Iblur towards Silk Board Junction. </p>.<p>BL Yashavanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL, said: "The launching girder had encountered an issue. Traffic was diverted for passenger safety." </p>.<p>The incident was expected to be resolved on Wednesday night, he added. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: An "unforeseen technical problem" in launching a sliding girder on Namma Metro's Blue Line (Phase 2A) triggered traffic chaos in southern and southeastern Bengaluru on Wednesday. </p>.<p>While Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) did not specify the technical problem, the traffic police said that the sliding girder at 14th Main in HSR Layout had tilted. </p>.<p>The issue necessitated the closure of the flyover on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in HSR Layout from 14th to 19th Main. The problem was compounded by the closure of the double-deck flyover, which links Ragigudda to Silk Board Junction. </p>.<p>The two flyovers connect major IT hubs like Marathahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Electronics City, and Silk Board Junction as well as residential areas like BTM Layout, Jayanagar, and JP Nagar. </p>.<p>Traffic bound for Silk Board Junction was diverted via 19th Main and 5th Main. Vehicles headed towards Hosur Road were asked to take a left at 6th Main and travel towards MCHS Colony. </p>.<p>Many commuters said that they were stuck in traffic for two to three hours. </p>.<p>Traffic police personnel were deployed at various locations to divert vehicular movement towards HSR layout, including Marathahalli bridge, Kadubeesanahalli, Silk Board Junction, and Sarjapur Road. </p>.<p>The traffic police said that the vehicular flow hadn't eased since 6 am and was expected to get worse. </p>.<p>Sandeep Krishnamurthy, who travels from RR Nagar to HSR Layout for work, said that the usual 30-minute route took him an hour and 45 minutes. </p>.<p>"The authorities could have made an announcement in advance so that we could have planned our travels. I started at 9 am and reached my office at 10.45 am,” he said. </p>.<p>Yashaswini, who takes a bus from Banashankari to Ecospace in Bellandur, said it took her three hours to reach office. "Traffic was at a standstill before it started to move slowly for nearly two hours,” she said. </p>.<p>Yashaswini left office at 6 pm. "Half an hour into the journey and the third bus stop hasn't reached yet," she said in the evening. </p>.<p>A cab driver said that it took him nearly an hour and 50 minutes to reach HSR Layout from Mahadevapura. </p>.<p>While the service road below the HSR flyover was choked with bumper-to-bumper traffic at 2 pm when this reporter visited the spot, the potholed road also left a lot to be desired. </p>.<p>Shiva Prakash Devaraju, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic, South), explained that commuters were advised to take alternative routes from HSR 19th Main via 17th Cross and 5th Main, which is interior HSR Layout, while also diverting traffic towards MCHS Colony to manage traffic coming from Iblur towards Silk Board Junction. </p>.<p>BL Yashavanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL, said: "The launching girder had encountered an issue. Traffic was diverted for passenger safety." </p>.<p>The incident was expected to be resolved on Wednesday night, he added. </p>