Traffic hit for 8 hours on Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway

Traffic came to a screeching halt for more than eight hours on Bengaluru-Mangaluru national highway, near Sakleshpur, on Saturday.

The road between Heggadde and Sakleshpur is in a totally dilapidated condition. Five lorries and two tankers got stuck in the potholes, affecting the vehicular traffic for around eight hours on the route from 2 am on Friday to 11 am on Saturday.

Thousands of vehicles were stranded for around 10 kilometres on either side of the highway. The drivers initially thought the traffic jam might be due to an accident. But, the truck tyres getting stuck in the potholes was the reason. The tyres had got punctured.

The Rural police rushed to the spot and struggled for more than three hours to clear the traffic. The residents and students in villages between Maranahalli and Donigal could not reach Sakleshpur town.

The negligence by the National Highway Authority of India was the reason for the recurring traffic problem on the route, drivers and villagers said.