Path-breaking road

Marenahalli Road, linking Electronics City and Whitefield to South Bengaluru, has most number of potholes in city and the Metro work is making matters worse

A portion of outer ring road between Central Silk Board and Ragigudda near BTM layout is perhaps the only major roads in the City which have the most number of potholes in a small but busy stretch. Right from the point where the City’s busiest junction begins to a few parts of South Bengaluru such as BTM Layout and Ragigudda, the Metro work has eaten away most of the road margins with only one-lane each left on both directions for motorists. Added to this problem is the poor condition of roads.

The stretch also called as Marenahalli road, is an important link between the IT hub of Electronics City and Whitefield to South Bengaluru with many residential layouts. As the busy lane was surrounded with commercial establishments and a number of trees, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) took up the work on the median without acquiring additional land. Now, the commuters are left with a rain-battled road which calls for urgent attention of the authorities.

Due to the frequent movement of heavy machinery used for Metro work, the road is full of potholes and muddy. Construction debris is also found all over the road, making the commute a difficult task even for experienced motorists. Besides, the road -- although an important stretch – is very narrow as compared to other arterial roads in the City. It sees heavy vehicle movement, especially in peak hours. As the stretch has multiple intersections, traffic congestion has become a regular scene.

Shiva Kumar, a techie, said the road has not been asphalted for very long. “A couple of months ago, workers were seen filling up potholes but that did not last long. It’s all the riskier for people who use two-wheelers. One cannot even ride in 20 kmph speed on this stretch. There are countless potholes and some are very steep,” he said. “By looking at the condition of the road, it’s hard to believe that an important stretch being left unattended for so many months.”

*********

Broken manhole


Apart from the potholes, the motorists had to also negotiate with a broken manhole on Saturday. It was holding back the traffic heading towards BTM Layout from Central Silk Board. Even traffic police had a tough time managing the vehicle movement, which had piled up for about half a kilometer. Officials said it was rectified by Sunday.

“The manhole has been cemented. It’s left for curing. We will be removing the barricade and allowing traffic on Monday,” a traffic police attached to Madiwala police station said.

The responsibility of maintaining the road where the Metro work is underway lies with the BMRCL. Responding to the query, Ajay Seth, Managing Director of Namma Metro promised to repair the stretch immediately.