Nightmare on airport street

 

Starting tomorrow, the new toll plazas on the Sadarahalli Gate near Bengaluru International Airport highway is set to create a tailback of cars and vehicles that will cause even more delays than before.

Eight toll booths have been built on the exit route from the international airport and another four have been built ahead of the trumpet flyover to collect toll from Andhra Pradesh-bound vehicles.

But of these, only eight are operational. Similarly, a single toll booth has been erected at the entrance of BIA from the Hyderabad highway.

Traffic experts say that the first few days are going to be tough for passengers leaving the airport. As it is, there are at least 10 bottlenecks between Vidhan Saudha and the airport due to ongoing construction work. The toll collection will start on Friday midnight and Bengaloreans will have to pay for and travel on congested roads for the next one year.

Traffic congestion is common at Palace Grounds, Hebbal flyover, Amruthhalli, Yelahanka, Hosahalli Cross, Vidhya Nagar Cross and Kogilu junction.

The government and BIA have not taken any steps to open the second alternative road to BIA, through Hennur and Baglur, and taxi owners are fuming at the toll which will entail further delays.

Though the NHAI has announced that airport-going vehicles will not be stopped or made to pass through toll booths, during peak hours the journey in the opposite direction could be chaotic.

Out of eight gates that have been installed to collect toll, two are used for exempted vehicles and heavy construction vehicles. So, all cars and other vehicles must pass through just six gates.

Vehicles going to Andhra Pradesh too will face traffic jams as there are only two booths operating after the airport flyover. The congestion was visible on Thursday evening when vehicles moving in four lanes were restricted to two lanes since the other two booths were not ready.

The developers and NHAI officials claim that the work on the 3.9 km-long elevated highway (between Amruth Halli and Yelahanka), two flyovers, and widening of the stretch between Hebbal and Bengaluru airport trumpet point, will be completed in the next six to eight months, but traffic experts have their doubts.

“The NH-7 is a busy road and is already suffering from several bottlenecks. The ongoing construction work has created congestion points and it takes more than 90 minutes to reach the city centre from the airport during peak hours. We are not against the toll, but why should one pay to travel through congested roads?” asks Radhakrishna Holla, general secretary of the Bangalore Tourist Taxi Owners Association.