Over 22000 Potholes Filled, 928 Km To Be Blacktopped Before Next Monsoon: Bengaluru Civic Authorities

Bengaluru’s civic administration has said the city is making progress in repairing damaged roads, with 22,539 potholes already filled, and noted that the remaining stretches will be fixed over the next month, according to a report in The New Indian Express.

Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development) Tushar Girinath and Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said work has continued despite intermittent rain, and longer-term fixes are being planned to avoid a repeat of this year’s widespread damage.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier instructed that repairs across the city’s five corporation zones be completed by 31 October.

Girinath noted that Bengaluru has 1,682 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads, many of which have suffered due to limited investment over nearly eight years.

The ongoing Rs 4,800 crore upgrade, drawn from GBA and state government grants aims to improve road conditions, reduce congestion and bring long-pending works back on track.

As part of this push, the Bengaluru Development Authority will execute the long-discussed short underpass at Hebbal, valued at over Rs 2,000 crore.

Girinath clarified that this underpass will run parallel to the proposed Tunnel Road. Since boring machines for the tunnel will take around 18 months to arrive, the underpass will serve as an interim solution to ease traffic.

Across various corporation limits, 392 km of roads are currently being upgraded using Rs 694 crore in funding. Of this, 157.40 km has been completed, and the rest is expected to finish by January.

A further 401 km remains under the defective liability period. Girinath reiterated that “Before the next monsoon, about 928 km of road length will be blacktopped.”

Separate projects include Rs 1,600 crore worth of asphalting and Rs 1,700 crore in white-topping across 157.39 km. Officials say these works, along with the broader Rs 4,500 crore road improvement programme, will significantly reduce the city’s chronic traffic and surface quality issues.

However, the 2.5 km MG Road stretch from Anil Kumble Circle to Trinity Circle is unlikely to be white-topped after the traffic police withheld permission due to heavy vehicular load.

Girinath also pointed to the state’s Rs 900 crore grant for the upcoming 40 km double-decker corridor that will integrate with the Metro network.

Responding to concerns about solid waste management, he defended the hiring of 46 mechanical sweeping machines and invited public feedback at gbasuggestion@gmail.com before tenders are finalised.

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