Metro work adds to traffic gridlocks at KR Puram

The time to travel two km from Krishnarajapuram to Tin Factory has gone up to 45 minutes with heavy traffic.

As work on the much-awaited Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield Metro line under Phase 2 (Reach 1 extension) has gathered pace. Contractors working with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) have barricaded a part of the road at the Tin Factory junction, reducing the width of the road and creating a bottleneck.

BMRCL has acquired about 15 feet space on the flyover leading to Ballari Road and put up a barricade. The divider at the junction has been removed for the soil test.

KSRTC buses from Kolar, Krishnarajapuram, as well as BMTC and private vehicles, stop near the Tin Factory, next to the Metro construction site. The barricade here has eaten into the congested road, reducing its carrying capacity. It has turned into a nightmare for those who come from the Silk Board Junction. The entire Krishnarajapuram bridge is seeing traffic gridlocks which vehicles taking 25 minutes to cross the stretch.

Traffic police suggested that BMRCL contractors should erect barricades only at the stretches where the work was under way. “We have told them that barricading all the places at once leads to multiple bottlenecks. They should keep in mind that the road witnesses the busiest traffic before taking such measures,” sources in Krishnarajapuram traffic police said.

The police said the road sees heavy traffic between 7 am and 11.30 am, and between 4.30 pm and 11 pm. “After the Metro work started, 10 policemen are regulating the traffic. Night time is ideal for contractors to take up work,” they said.