Bengaluru: Hebbal’s traffic chaos might not ease just yet, but now you’ll know when the ongoing work could end: A 6×9.5 sqft LED display board installed on the flyover by BDA will act as a countdown clock for the long-awaited additional ramp!The board will soon flash real-time updates on construction progress, expected completion dates, and the big day the new ramp will be thrown open for the public. The new ramp will facilitate traffic from the Nagawara side towards the central part of the city.The ramp, the construction of which was taken up last year and has missed multiple deadlines, is all set for completion in the first week of Aug. A BDA source said: “The works related to the new ramp integrated with the old KR Pura loop have reached an advanced stage. We could have completed the work a couple of days ago, but incessant rain caused problems in taking up asphalting work. Once road laying works are complete, road signage will be installed.“The new ramp starts at Baptist Hospital and lands on the Outer Ring Road towards the KR Pura side. The opening of the ramp is likely to ease traffic congestion at the junction to a certain extent. However, a few traffic experts feel that the new ramp will only shift congestion from Hebbal junction to Baptist Hospital (towards Mehkri Circle) as managing traffic flow on the mainlines of Ballari Road and the service road near Baptist Hospital will be a challenge. Vehicles coming from the airport side (using Hebbal flyover) taking a left turn to access the service road could be a problem as traffic from Bhoopasandra and that going towards Mehkri Circle will have to cope with vehicles trying to get on to the service road.A senior traffic police officer said, “We will know about the impact on traffic flow from the Baptist Hospital side to Mehkri Circle only after the opening of the new ramp. It appears that the new ramp would pose some disruptions in the traffic flow, but necessary action will be taken after studying the traffic flow.”A traffic official said that once the new ramp gets fully operational, there will be more congestion near Mehkri Circle and junctions ahead. It is said that authorities are contemplating shifting bus stops a few yards ahead to avoid traffic congestion.
