Varthur-Sarjapur road joins ORR as one of Bengaluru’s most congested stretches

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

A senior traffic police officer said that the stretch between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur Road has joined the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road stretch between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro as one of the most congested roads in the city. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

A senior traffic police officer said that the stretch between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur Road has joined the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road stretch between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro as one of the most congested roads in the city. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

A senior traffic police officer said that the stretch between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur Road has joined the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road stretch between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro as one of the most congested roads in the city. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

A senior traffic police officer said that the stretch between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur Road has joined the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road stretch between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro as one of the most congested roads in the city. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

For a commuter driving the nine-km stretch of State Highway-35 between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur-Ambalipura Road, the journey is an exercise in navigating one hurdle after another. Open drains run alongside the road, mounds of soil occupy non-existent footpaths, thick clouds of dust induce bouts of coughing, and commuters are forced to constantly manoeuvre around potholes along this busy stretch of east Bengaluru.

While the recent incident of schoolchildren struggling in buses for hours exposed the everyday ordeal of commuters in the locality amid crumbling road infrastructure, a recent Bengaluru Traffic Police analysis of congestion has revealed that this State Highway is now among the city’s most congested stretches.

A senior traffic police officer confirmed to The Hindu that this stretch (between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur Road) has joined the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road (ORR) stretch between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro as one of the most congested roads in the city. What’s more? On several days, the congestion on SH-35 has surpassed that on the ORR, according to the officer.

“When the congestion data is compiled, it is not just the main corridor whose traffic volume is considered. Even the connecting roads are counted to draw the final congestion length,” the officer explained. “As even the smaller roads are clogged at all points in a day and movement is slowed down, the travel time in the area has shot up multifold. This has led to large volumes on other roads,” he explained.

Explaining why it is overtaking the ORR, the officer said that the ORR stretch witnesses traffic during peak hours, while on weekends it is non-existent.