Bangalore's Cubbon Road set to be closed from next week

Commuting is going to be an even greater ordeal for Bangaloreans as Cubbon Road from BRV Junction to Minsk Square may be closed for three years, beginning next week, to facilitate underground metro work.

The city traffic police are awaiting the outcome of a high power committee meeting on the Namma Metro work before taking a final decision on the road closure from March 20. However, they have already prepared a three-page advisory for motorists.

“It may take a couple of days to see exactly how the traffic flow could  be diverted,” a traffic police officer said. Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Praveen Sood said the closure of Minsk Square will be the biggest challenge for the traffic police.

“It will have a cascading effect on the flow of traffic from east, especially from Koramangala, Indiranagar and beyond. This is also the route to the international airport. Air travellers will have to take a circuitous route to reach the western parts of the city. Already, we have closed part of Ambedkar Veedhi,” he said.

Diverted traffic would flow on the newly laid road that enters the Kings Road in Cubbon Park, and passes between KGID building and Press Club.

At the junction of MG Road and Kasturba Road, motorists will have to take the road next to Bal Bhavan toy train track and pass through Tennis Pavillion to reach KR Circle after taking a right turn at Siddalingaiah Circle.

Cubbon Road from BRV Junction to Minsk Square will be made ‘no entry’ since the road between Minsk Sqaure and CTO Circle will be closed. The road from Hal Corporate office to Union Street will also be closed.

“We are planning to divert BMTC and other buses to Infantry Road at Coffee Board junction, from where they can enter Union Street. BMTC buses will take a right turn at the entry of Union Street to reach BRV junction and take a left turn to reach Shivajinagar bus station. Other vehicles will move on Infantry Road. We will see how the diversions work for 15 days,” he said.

The closure of Minsk Square will be the fifth diversion in place around Vidhana Soudha.

“The Old Post Office Road is already closed. The entry to the high court is restricted from Central Library side. The lane of Ambedkar Veedhi in front of Vidhana Soudha is closed,” he said.

Besides this, a new road has been opened for traffic to reach KR Circle next to NGOs Association building, he said.