The Karnataka government is planning to make the Bangalore-Mysore road an eight-lane highway with flyovers to alleviate traffic congestion at key restricted access.
The traffic density, as per recent survey conducted by the public works department, has almost doubled in the past decade with the 130-km stretch recording 40,000 passenger car unit (PCU).
When the four-lane was built in 2004, vehicular traffic was 20,000 PCU. “Traffic volume apart, illegal speedbreakers add to the delay,” a senior PWD official told TOI.
In the recent years, the two-and-a-half-hour smooth drive between these two cities has turned into a three-and-a-half-hour nightmare, with drivers were enforced to negotiate over 100 illegally erected speedbreakers.
The eight-lane highway proposal is to be expected to be presented to chief minister Siddaramaiah and included in the budget to be presented on February 14.
The proposal to construct flyovers in five places on the way to Mysore – Bidadi, Ramanagaram, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna – has continued to be a mere promise from ministers and netas representing Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts. “Flyovers alone won’t reduce traffic density. Wide roads coupled with flyovers will definitely help,” the official said.