Consecutive and protracted repair works being carried out on the road add to commuters’ woes; a narrow alternative stretch on Millers road faces traffic snarls every day.
As civic agencies vie with one another in carrying out works on city roads, commuters get stuck every day on alternative stretches.
Exactly two months after the water board finished replacing pipes on Millers Road, the Bhruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started repairing the stretch.
Vehicles, including Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) buses, are using the narrow and potholed Millers Tank Bund Road which experiences traffic snarls almost every day.
“I used to take this alternative road only during traffic pile-ups on Millers Road. The road is now broken all over and driving past the drain is a torture. But it saves me from the traffic gridlock on the main road,” said Ambarish S, a biker who takes the road daily.
A few other bikers are taking a detour through Cunningham Road to Palace Road and Jayamahal Road.
“I’ve tried all other roads which are in good condition to reach Jayamahal Road as I did not want to spoil the shock absorbers of my new bike,” said Gyanesh Thakur, a resident of Jayamahal Road.
More than 200 BMTC buses, which make more than 2,000 trips, are struggling every day through this parallel road.
“We’ve still not got any official word from the traffic police to start plying our buses on Millers Road. Our buses have been huffing and puffing through the narrow road for the last four months because of drain work,” said a senior BMTC official.
Every day, BMTC drivers kept complaining about the pain they suffered while driving through the alternative road, he said.
Water board dug up Millers Road during early May and completed replacing the pipes in 17 days by May 25. Next was Palike’s turn to repair the road. Earlier, the chief engineer of storm water drains told DNA that the repair work would be done in two phases so that traffic movement would not be completely stopped on the road.
After more than 45 days, nothing happened. The road is half dug in front of Ambedkar Bhavan and Mahaveer Bhagwan Jain Hospital which slows traffic. During rains, the stretch becomes so slippery that drivers have to employ all tricks up their sleeves for a safe passage through the stretch. Last weekend, BBMP barricaded the road at the crossroads near Cantonment station where at a corner they piled up sand and tarring material.
Although the repair work has started, it is progressing slowly.
According to the original plan, the BBMP was to start repair work by early June.
“Redoing the road has almost been done. We’re constructing a concrete bridge over the storm water drain near Vasanth Nagar bus stop. Asphalting will be done for the entire stretch,” said BT Ramesh, engineering chief, BBMP. He said the road would be opened for traffic by mid October. “The entire work will take at least 21 days,” he added.
“The problem with civic utilities is that they do not follow any schedule or give themselves a deadline. Also there is no co-ordination among them over a certain work. This makes us suffer,” said Akashdeep Singh, who frequently drives through the stretch.
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