Caught in a limbo: Will these Bengaluru flyovers be thrown open to public at least in 2026?

The opening of the Hosakerehalli flyover on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) looks like a 2025 achievement for the city. Like previous years, Bengalurean’s wish list for 2026 will surely include completion of the much-delayed Ejipura flyover and the flyover on Doddaballapur Road in Yelahanka.

Ejipura flyover

The 2.38km Ejipura flyover, planned to decongest the Middle Ring Road in Koramangala, has been stuck since 2019 and finally picked up speed in 2025; segment launch and span installation showed steady progress between June and December. But civil society has yet to overcome the project’s biggest and most persistent hurdle: land acquisition.

According to engineers on site, segment launch efforts between Piers 8 and 20 are currently in full swing, which will continue until mid-January. Additionally, construction of ramps is ongoing near Ejipura junction, causing major traffic disruptions during peak hours.

On the other hand, the project requires the purchase of three parcels, two of which are state land. The biggest hurdle is St. Louis, whose case is currently in court. It became the land of St. John’s Medical School and Hospital. Officials say the process will pick up in January, but the deadline seems far from reality due to the difficulties that have arisen.

“The St. John’s Medical School and Hospital property is required because according to our design schematics we need a portal truss at this particular location. We have a ramp planned at this location,” said an engineer overseeing the project. Hindu.

According to the official, the deadline may be further extended if the resolution and acquisition of the case is delayed. However, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) sources are optimistic that the acquisition process will be completed by the end of January.

Meanwhile, GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao has set June 2026 as the deadline to complete the project, which seems overly optimistic at this point. However, if everything goes as planned, the segment launch and span installation will be completed by March, and ramp construction can continue until May. Small jobs may take another month to complete.

Ejipura junction is a gateway to east Bengaluru for residents of south and southeast Bengaluru. Traffic from Koramangala, BTM Layout and HSR Layout use the Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) to reach Indiranagar, making Ejipura Junction a very important link.

Madhav Punyaslok, a Koramangala resident who uses the IRR every day to reach Indiranagar, said it takes at least six to 10 minutes to cross the junction, especially for those coming from Sony Signal.

“This takes a lot of time as the construction narrows the lane near the intersection. But it is a sign of progress on the project. Once the construction is finished, the IRR will see a dramatic drop in traffic,” he said.

Site engineer explained Hindu It was stated that the ramp construction at the Ejipura junction will be completed by the end of January.

Yelahanka overpass

While the much-delayed Ejipura flyover has sparked a flurry of jokes, memes and chatter, resulting in constant monitoring of the project, less has been talked about about the flyover on Doddaballapura Road in Yelahanka.

Work on the 1.8 km-long short flyover on Doddaballapur Road between Yelahanka police station and BWSSB junction started in 2022 and 18 months were given to complete the work. However, work is currently ongoing.

In June 2025, the GBA Chief Commissioner, who was then heading the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), inspected the ongoing works and set a new deadline of December 2025 for completion of the works. But it’s not close to completion yet.

While most of the columns have been erected, work continues to install the beams in their place. The construction of the ramp has started at Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road and the beams are yet to be placed at the other end. Sources at GBA said the project’s new deadline is May 2026.

The flyover has been designed to provide a signal-free commute on Doddaballapur Road. But residents say the prolonged construction is causing more problems than the traffic signals, and they even question the need for this overpass.

Varadaraj M., a resident of the area, said, “We lose almost an hour in total in the morning and evening. It is worse on weekends. In fact, we do not understand why this overpass is needed.”

A senior civic official said that work on the flyover was extremely delayed as it was carried out only at night. “This is a State highway and there is no service road. Therefore, we cannot direct traffic. There were some obstacles in land acquisition and relocation of facilities and these have now been cleared,” the official said.

(This is the first in a multi-part series)

It was published – 15 December 2025 07:02 IST