Bengaluru: The Siddaramaiah Budget has announced the construction of a flyover at the junction of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway and Outer Ring Road near Kempegowda Circle, commonly known as the Manipal Hospital Junction, along the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, intending to alleviate traffic congestion.

This collaborative effort with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) aims to address the mounting traffic snarls, particularly noticeable since the transformation of the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway to an Expressway last year.

During peak hours, weekends and holidays, the Manipal Hospital junction experiences severe traffic congestion, with trucks, buses, cars and two-wheelers vying for space. Crossing this junction can take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Even before the Expressway upgrade, traffic jams were a common occurrence and the situation has only worsened with the Highway expansion.

The proposed flyover will span the Highway at the Manipal Hospital Junction, intersecting with the Outer Ring Road. The urgent need to transform the junction into a signal-free passageway to ensure the seamless flow of traffic was emphasised in the Budget.

It is worth noting that the NHAI had initially approved a proposal for developing the Hospital Junction into a Clover Leaf Interchange back in 2019. However, this project never materialised, primarily due to its high costs.

It may be recalled here that Minister for Urban Development B.S. Suresh, during his visit to Mysuru in November 2023, engaged with officials to initiate the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the flyover.