Bengaluru's New Airport Road: A Commuter's Nightmare with Potholes and Flooding

The New Airport Road, also known as Hennur-Bagalur Road, has become a nightmare for commuters, with water overflow, craters, potholes, and non-functional streetlights adding to the misery. The situation has deteriorated over the past week, leaving residents and commuters trapped in traffic jams that stretch for kilometres.

A resident shared their frustration and said, ‘ It has taken 1 hour to travel 1 km. I’m starting to feel like the authorities enjoy seeing citizens suffer. This situation could have been easily avoided if the roads were asphalted and drains put in order when the complaints had started back in July and August.”

The chaos peaked when the road to the airport was temporarily closed beyond Kannur. “There was water flowing earlier, and now it’s open again, but it’s a mess,” one commuter remarked. Flooding at the railway underpass near Agrahara and massive potholes near the Agrahara Xing signal have caused hours of traffic congestion. Several commuters reported being stuck for over an hour, with one stating, “I was trapped at Lingarajapuram for over an hour because BBMP has closed the 80 feet road HBR for white-topping.” The deteriorating road condition, exacerbated by the ongoing rains, has been a longstanding issue. Another resident pointed out, “The roads have been damaged for over a year. There is never any traffic police near the bridge, and vehicles come in the opposite direction, causing further chaos. Ministers and ex-ministers use this road too, and I wonder how they travel on it. Why are heavy vehicles allowed on this stretch?”

Roads have been damaged for over a year. There is never any traffic police near the bridge, and vehicles come in opposite direction, causing chaosResident

Adding to the frustration, Bengaluru’s local body elections have been pending for many years, leaving citizens without a representative to address these civic concerns. “With no corporators in place, there is no pressure group to get things done,” a resident added

The Bengaluru Traffic Police carried out a temporary fix on Monday, but Tuesday’s rains washed it away. Residents are now calling for a permanent solution. “Until a permanent fix is carried out by the BBMP, the road will remain in this terrible condition,” said a concerned citizen.