Bengaluru: If East Bengaluru has the infamous Ejipura flyover, North has one at Yelahanka — seemingly under construction forever.The deadline for completing the flyover from Yelahanka police station to Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan junction has now been pushed to May 2026, over three years since work on the project began.The 1.8km flyover, announced by the erstwhile BBMP in 2022 with an estimated cost of Rs 164 crore, was intended to provide a signal-free route for commuters heading towards Doddaballapur Road and from there towards the city. Initially slated for completion within 18 months, it has since missed several deadlines — the most recent being March this year.Now, three years on, the road beneath the flyover has become a major bottleneck, especially around Seshadripuram College and the NES junction, causing significant inconvenience to both motorists and pedestrians.“Every single day, the incomplete flyover drains hours of our lives, tests our patience, and puts people at risk. What was promised as a solution has become a punishment. For me, it means losing an hour daily — time I could spend with family or at work. Instead, I spend it trapped in a chaotic traffic jam caused by a half-built flyover that seems to have no end in sight,” says Malla Reddy, a resident of an apartment on Doddaballapur Road.Weekends are particularly bad, as both vehicle and foot traffic surge around the Police Station Junction due to crowds heading to the nearby mall and cinema. Traffic crawls, and pedestrians frequently halt vehicles to cross the road. “Weekends and Mondays are the worst. There’s no proper crossing, so people signal vehicles to stop. Sometimes they do, but it is often dangerous,” says Ravichandra, a techie who commutes daily from NES bus stop to Devanahalli.So, what is causing the delay? According to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) officials, the lack of a service road, restricted working hours, land acquisition hurdles, and utility relocation are the main culprits.“In most flyover projects, we get a service road to work from. But here, we only have the main carriageway, which is a state highway and a major bus route. Traffic police have said there is no way to divert vehicles, so we are limited to working between 11pm and 5.30am,” explained a GBA engineer.As of now, GBA claims 65% of the work is done. “We have completed 90% of the land acquisition, erected most pillars, and installed many girders. Ramp construction has begun on Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road. We aim to finish by March 2026, with a two-month buffer,” the engineer added.Notably, GBA chief civic commissioner Maheshwar Rao, who was in Yelahanka for an inspection recently, directed officials and contractors to expedite the work on the flyover and complete it by Dec 2025.Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath, who monitors the project, cited funding delays. “At one point, BBMP had not released grants, and I had to intervene. Traffic has worsened since the work began, but with the issues resolved, we hope to complete the flyover by April 2026,” he told TOI.However, locals argue that the delay is unreasonable and demand faster execution. “This prolonged construction is disrupting lives and raising safety concerns. Creating better infrastructure within tighter timelines should be a priority to support the rapid growth of urbanisation and industrialisation,” says Soumya Kustagi, a regular commuter and a resident of Yelahanka.
