To Kempegowda International Airport, all roads lead to traffic jams

From accidents to protests, the Ballari elevated road to the international airport has seen them all.  Traffic snarls are the norm in Kempapura near the Hebbal flyover, near Mekhri Circle and at Windsor Manor. In March, in the absence of alternative routes to the airport, hundreds of passengers missed their flights due to the traffic pile-up caused by the farmers' protest. This happened again during the recent snap protest by cab drivers. While a steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal has been proposed by the government to improve access to KIA, civic activists don't believe it will help. So what alternative routes can make a difference? Some, like the following, have been tossed around for a while.

Route One: The Hennur-Challakere stretch of the Outer Ring Road  through Bidarahalli, Chikka Gubbi and Bagalur to Devanahalli
It has been over eight years since the new international airport began operations, but the search for alternative routes  to it continues without much success. Civic activists argue the airport access proposed via Hennur-Bagalur makes a lot of sense as it will allow people from east Bengaluru to make their way to it without having to touch the rest of the city.  

A 25 km stand-alone expressway to make this possible was proposed as far back as 2005. The project was first given to the BDA, then to the BMRDA and still later to the  NHAI , but ultimately it was shelved due to immense pressure from various quarters as the land required belonged to influential persons, who were reluctant to part with it.

Read: Guest column – ‘Flyover will decongest KIAL area, but worsen CBD’

But the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) too was partly to blame as it refused to give the public access to the other side of the airport where the road would lead, on security grounds. Moreover,  the area in question was also required for the airport runway proposed under its phase-2 expansion. Not convinced by any of BIAL's arguments, Mr Sanjeev V Dyamannavar, member of Praja, RAAG, an advocacy group , laments that various non-issues have been allowed to come in the way of a good idea.

“Although the BBMP had already constructed a road from Bagalur to Mylanahalli leading to the airport, the BIAL refused to install an entry gate, which would have solved the issue. The road through Bagalur, Kanoor, Chagalgatta and Mylanahalli will shorten the distance to the airport by at least 10 km. BDA  spent Rs 58 crore on the Hennur flyover across the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and another Rs 50 crore on the land acquisition. This flyover with grade separators was planned seven years ago and even the BDA has argued it could be an alternative route to the airport,” he contends.

Route Two: Whitefield - Hoskote – Budigere Cross – Airport
It could be the solution that people living in Whitefield have been looking for. If  connectivity is provided to KIAB from the area via Budigere Cross by widening and developing the required road, it could , along with the Hennur-Bagalur  route, give people of  east Bengaluru, including Whitefield,  two exclusive routes to the airport , entirely bypassing the crowded Ballari road.

Currently,  commuters need to go back to Devanahalli Road from Budigere Cross to head to the airport. Although developing a more direct route will require widening of some very narrow roads, presently used mainly by trucks and other heavy vehicles, should the government put its weight behind the project, the journey to the airport from this part of the city could be cut by at least 15 to 18 km and travel time, by 25 minutes.

“The drive is little less than 60 km, point to point.  But the last 18 km are spent circling around the airport  as there is no entry to it from the east side. One can go from Hope Farm junction to Hoskote on to Budigere and then to the airport via a village just north of it, or via Devanahalli itself, which is much further north of the airport. If BIAL can build an entry gate on the east or south side, this route will be shorter by 10 km or more,” says a frequent flyer from east Bengaluru.

Traffic expert MN Sreehari believes the Budigere side needs to be given direct access to the airport as soon as possible. “The road currently comes under the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). It is the sole responsibility of the state government to push for converting this route into four or six lanes and get the agencies to do the job.  In a matter of few years, the number of vehicles will again double and that is when we will feel the need for an alternative  four-lane route. We are already seeing  passengers travelling to KIA  being badly impacted in heavy traffic on Ballari road. It is time we learnt from our mistakes and did something to correct them before it is too late,” he underlines.

Route Three: NICE Road – Bannerghatta Road- Tumkur Road - Airport
West and south Bengaluru could have an exclusive alternative route to the airport if the NICE Road, starting from Hosur Road and cutting through Bannerghatta Road, Mysore Road, Magadi Road and finally the Tumkur Road is linked to the Ballari airport road. If public transport was to improve on this alternative route, it could decongest the regular Ballari airport road.

Steel bridge from Hebbal to Chalukya Circle
Although the government has approved this project, experts warn it will only provide a temporary solution, catering to a limited number of people travelling  to the airport from the Central Business District (CBD). Moreover, they note, there is no effective public transport on this corridor except for BMTC Volvo buses, which run  with only a handful of passengers. Passengers are left mostly at the mercy of private cab aggregators, who fleece them.