'Bengaluru, absolute traffic hell...: City's congestion worsens as HSR Layout flyover shuts for metro work, netizens irked

Bengaluru Traffic Woes: Can you name a more iconic duo than Bengaluru and traffic jams? The city’s infamous congestion just got worse on Wednesday as the flyover near HSR Layout was shut down for metro construction, leaving thousands of commuters stuck in long jams. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has taken up work in the area, but an issue with the sliding girder at 14th Main led authorities to close the flyover, triggering chaos on the roads. 

To manage the situation, Bengaluru traffic police issued an advisory rerouting outbound traffic toward Silk Board via 19th Main. But for commuters, that was little consolation. The result? Endless honking, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and a fresh wave of frustration on social media.  

Bengaluru HSR flyover traffic advisory and public outrage 

Announcing the closure on X, Bengaluru traffic police stated: "Due to the tilt of the BMRCL sliding girdle at 14th Main, HSR Layout, the flyover is closed for traffic. Commuters are advised to use alternate routes. Outgoing traffic toward Silk Board is being diverted via 19th Main. Kindly cooperate and plan your travel accordingly."

But Bengaluru’s residents weren’t in the mood to "cooperate." Furious commuters took to social media, slamming authorities for poor planning and the lack of alternative solutions.  

Netizens vent frustration over traffic chaos

"Stop all freebies to the Politicians. Make them travel using public transport at their own cost. Stay in their own house, pay for their bills - Phone, Vehicles, Petrol, etc,etc. only they will realise the condition of the common public. They don't get stuck in traffic," one user wrote.  

Another commuter, stuck in gridlock, fumed: "Stand still #traffic on Marathalli ORR as the flyovers are blocked for metro work. This is a punishment for making a living in Bengaluru."

A resident even appealed to Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, saying: "Please stop construction of metro on ORR Bengaluru and vacate road for traffic. Metro being non affordable now will be of no use even if you complete construction. Please don't waste our money on construction."

For many, this was just another day in Bengaluru’s traffic nightmare. "Traffic in HSR-Koramangala is the worst of all times today,It took me 1:51 minutes to reach Koramangala from HSR.  (a 10-20min) YES. Wrath of BBMP or whoever decided to send everybody towards Sarjapur Road due to the flyover construction in Bengaluru," another user wrote.

Many users also slammed successive state governments for failing to tackle Bengaluru's traffic crisis, with one post reading: "Bengaluru, absolute traffic hell on this earth. All CMs of Karnataka since last 25 years must be jailed for not working to resolve this. Shame on."

With no immediate relief in sight, Bengaluru’s commuters will have to brace for longer, more frustrating travel times—because in this city, traffic jams are as much a part of life as filter coffee and tech startups.