Ongoing roadworks cripple traffic on Chandapura–Attibele stretch, commuters face daily delays

Prolonged and poorly managed roadworks on the busy Chandapura-Attibele stretch of Hosur Road have brought daily traffic to a crawl, with commuters reporting delays of over an hour and congestion spilling all the way to the Attibele toll plaza.

The works, which have been under way for months, have triggered frequent bottlenecks, leaving residents frustrated and raising serious concerns over access to emergency services.

Local commuters said the situation has worsened in recent weeks, with the national highway traffic frequently backing up till Bommasandra during peak hours. “This stretch is a textbook example of how poor planning and slow execution can paralyse an entire highway,” said Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Attibele, pointing out that there is often little to no visible traffic police presence when congestion peaks.

Residents have also flagged the alarming impact on emergency services. Several ambulances, they claimed, were getting stuck day and night due to narrowed carriageways, diversions and haphazard barricading.

“When traffic is gridlocked for kilometres, even ambulances struggle to move. It’s frightening to think of the consequences during a medical emergency,” Mr. Mahesh added.

Roadworks chaos hits key Bengaluru entry

According to local residents, the interchange work being carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has significantly disrupted traffic flow. Krishna R., a resident who uses the stretch daily, said that multiple infrastructure projects have converged on the same corridor, turning it into a nightmare. “They have dug up the road extensively and left it in a terrible state. This road is a key entry into Bengaluru for traffic coming from Tamil Nadu. With so much work happening simultaneously and no coordination, the entire stretch has become a mess,” he said.

Another daily commuter, Shiva Kumar, criticised the quality of roadwork. “The road conditions are pathetic. Just today, I saw two brand-new sedans break down on this stretch. The base layers, which are supposed to be strong enough to withstand heavy vehicles, are already coming apart. They look weak and patchy. If this is the quality now, it will take years to complete these roads properly,” he said.

Half-done works

Prabhu S., a cab driver, said driving through the stretch feels more like off-roading than using a city highway. “There is zero communication or accountability. Agencies dig up the road, leave it half-done and disappear. One badly managed choke point is enough to slow the entire national highway till Bommasandra, and people end up burning hours in traffic every day,” he said.

Meanwhile, a local police official said additional personnel have been deployed during peak hours to manage traffic. “We have stationed extra staff during morning and evening rush hours to ease congestion and regulate vehicle movement, as roadworks are currently under way on this stretch,” the official said. However, the NHAI officials did not respond to issue.