Fed up with the congestion caused at the railway level crossing on Outer Ring Road near Jalahalli, the city traffic police have proposed an elevated road at the point to decongest traffic movement. The length of the proposed four-lane elevated highway is 2.5 km and will provide hassle-free connectivity for traffic from Hebbal to Tumkur. Traffic police say the level crossing on the ORR is causing a traffic gridlock every day due to which even Tumkur Road gets congested at different times. Besides the elevated road proposal, police are also initiating measures on the ground to improve traffic movement. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.A. Saleem said a proposal was submitted to the government to build the elevated road to decongest traffic movement on ORR. “Even the Railways had promised a Road-Overbridge (RoB), but the construction never took off. We are also bringing in changes on the ground so that short-term solutions are implemented to improve traffic movement,” Mr Saleem said.
Every day, thousands of vehicles, including heavy trucks, wait to cross the level crossings as two-wheelers and autorickshaws which try to squeeze through, bring traffic to a halt. Recently, the police erected a median so that vehicles stick to their lanes. But the plan went awry after commuters removed the stone blocks and made way for themselves to jump to the other lane.
“There are issues like two-wheeler riders removing the median blocks. We will go in for a permanent median so that the traffic moves in lanes. We are very serious about lane discipline and we will take up a massive campaign to create awareness among commuters. Two level crossings on ORR are holding up traffic on many roads joining the ORR at Jalahalli. If the congestion at Jalahalli is solved, traffic will become smoother on ORR,” said a traffic officer.