Lower Agaram Road closure chokes key link to central Bengaluru
The temporary closure of a 250-metre stretch of Lower Agaram Road in southeast Bengaluru for whitetopping has left adjoining roads clogged during peak hours, causing
The temporary closure of a 250-metre stretch of Lower Agaram Road in southeast Bengaluru for whitetopping has left adjoining roads clogged during peak hours, causing delays of at least 15 minutes for commuters heading towards central Bengaluru. The road serves as a crucial link between southeast and central Bengaluru, connecting Lower Agaram Road with Victoria Road, which further leads to Shoolay Circle via General K.S. Thimmayya Road. Residents of Austin Town, Neelasandra, Vivek Nagar, and surrounding neighbourhoods depend on this link to commute to the eastern part of the city. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has taken up the whitetopping of Lower Agaram Road, which will be executed in different phases. In the first phase, the GBA has barricaded a 250-metre stretch at the end where it connects to Victoria Road, blocking the main connection. Commuters face delays Chaitanya Krishna, a resident of Koramangala who travels to M.G. Road every day, lamented that his commute time has increased by nearly 20 minutes because of the closure of this stretch.
“Even Hosur Road is clogged during peak hours, and now this stretch is also congested, especially between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. A lot of school buses ply on this road in the mornings because we have four schools in the locality, which slows down traffic even further,” he explained. Residents feel the heat As traffic on the affected stretch continued to worsen, commuters began using adjoining roads, including Old Race Course Road, John Bull Road, Palm Grove Road, and others. As a ripple effect, these roads are now witnessing severe congestion, causing inconvenience to local residents as well. Bharathi, a resident of Rehman Road, said the increased traffic movement has also made it unsafe for children. “Many are now using East Road, which runs parallel to Agaram Road, as it saves about five to six minutes compared to being stuck in traffic near the construction site,” she said.
A traffic police officer deployed at the junction said nearly 15 personnel have been stationed to manage traffic from Ejipura Main Road to the end of Old Race Course Road, highlighting the intensity of the congestion. Under normal circumstances, only five traffic personnel are deployed on this stretch. Multiple agencies at work A senior traffic police officer told The Hindu that multiple agencies are carrying out work simultaneously along the stretch and on adjoining roads, resulting in slower traffic movement. However, when The Hindu visited the spot, it found that the closure was not partial, which is the standard procedure usually followed by civic agencies in coordination with the traffic police. At this location, both sides of the road had been closed to vehicles after the traffic police granted permission for a complete closure. A senior GBA engineer overseeing the project told The Hindu that the work is part of six packages, of which three have been completed, and the remaining roadworks have to be expedited as they involve other major connecting roads.
The BriefWire