Varthur–Sarjapur stretch now among Bengaluru's worst traffic bottlenecks

The nine-kilometre stretch of State Highway-35 running between Varthur Kodi and Sarjapur-Ambalipura Road has emerged as one of Bengaluru's most congested corridors, according to a recent analysis by the city's traffic police. A senior traffic police officer said the stretch now ranks alongside the 17.1-km Outer Ring Road corridor between Silk Board junction and K.R. Puram Metro, and on several days the congestion on SH-35 has been worse.

The officer attributed this to the nature of traffic on the two corridors. The ORR sees heavy volumes mainly during peak hours and is largely free of traffic on weekends, whereas vehicles keep moving on SH-35 through the day. Congestion assessments also take into account the connecting roads that feed a corridor, the officer added, noting that when these smaller roads remain clogged and movement slows, travel times rise sharply and pressure shifts to other routes.

The corridor falls under the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, an area with numerous apartment complexes, more than 20 prominent schools and a growing presence of technology firms. Residents say the road network has not kept pace. Narendra Rao, a resident of Gunjur village, said the area has tall apartment blocks housing thousands of vehicles, while the roads remain narrow and unable to absorb the growing numbers.

Barring a few kilometres closer to Sarjapur Road, the stretch is marked by large craters, and at some junctions, including near the Rama Temple close to Gunjur Bus Stop, there is little sign of a road. Three points bear the brunt of the congestion: the junction at Varthur Police Station, the Gunjur-Mugulur Road junction, and the crossing near Muthasandra Main Road close to Varthur Lake. None of these junctions has traffic signals, and vehicle movement is managed manually by traffic police personnel and local residents through the day.

Prasanna Bhat, a Varthur resident who works as a traffic volunteer, said the highway is a key link for the eastern outskirts and carries all heavy vehicles. That traffic, combined with hundreds of school buses and local vehicles, makes it a high-density road. Ongoing civic works and poor surface conditions slow vehicles further, he said, and the resulting delays spill over onto connecting stretches.

More than eight major routes feed into the highway, including Hosahalli Road, Balagere Main Road, Gunjur-Mugalur Road, Gunjur-Doddakannelli Road and Gunjur-Balagere Road. Many of these are narrow, some just 20 to 25 feet wide in the interior stretches, and they carry the heaviest load because most apartment complexes are located along them. When the highway chokes at key junctions, congestion on these roads can extend beyond 1.5 km, particularly during peak hours.

Pedestrians face their own difficulties, with little to no walking infrastructure along the stretch, especially near Varthur Police Station. A pedestrian named Rohan said crossing the road takes about five minutes and walking along it is nearly impossible, as footpaths are covered with mounds of mud or drains lie uncovered. Dust from ongoing civic works hangs in the air, and in several places pedestrians must climb over heaps of soil to continue. Uncovered drains, loose cables, construction material and debris add to the hazards.

The condition has persisted for over a year, with two civic works — a flyover at Varthur Kodi and the widening of SH-35 — delayed by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation. The project was taken up in 2019 with an original completion deadline of 2021, but on-ground progress has been slow.

Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, Additional Commissioner, East City Corporation, said a land acquisition issue had held up the work, but transferable development rights are now being issued to property owners. A few land losers are seeking cash compensation, which requires approval and processing by the KRDCL, she added.