Skywalks planned on Mysuru-Bengaluru expressway to prevent mishaps

With a rise in the number of accidents on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has planned to construct a skywalk at every village on the stretch.

The 119-km expressway is the first controlled-access road in South India. The authorities have installed mesh-wire fences on both sides to prevent people from crossing the road. But the locals have broken and damaged the fence at many points to cross the road resulting in accidents.

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Sources said the accidents have become a headache for the authorities now. It has become difficult to check the illegal crossing of the road despite lodging complaints with the police. In view of the safety of the people and also vehicles, the NHAI has decided to construct skywalks, they said.

A 55-km stretch of the expressway passes through Mandya district and 18 skywalks have been planned here. Besides, 21 skywalks will be constructed in Mysuru, Ramanagara and Bengaluru Rural districts. The places for the construction of the skywalks have been identified. In some places, there is a need for land acquisition, according to the Authority officers.

Underpasses have been constructed at only some points, causing inconvenience to the villagers.

“It is inevitable for us to take a detour of two to three km to reach their destination. Skywalks will be helpful,” Basavaraju, a resident of Sundahalli, said.

Junction plan

Seeing the traffic jams at Manipal Hospital Circle in Mysuru, the NHAI has planned to construct a junction to ease the traffic on the expressway.

According to an engineer, a proposal for Rs 1,000 crore has been submitted for land acquisition, skywalks, junction and other works. The Authority’s new project director Rahul was not reachable.