The city is struggling under 126 traffic diversions, turning everyday travel into a long and frustrating ordeal. What was earlier a problem limited to peak hours has now become an all-day issue, with roads clogged from morning till night.
The diversions have created severe bottlenecks at several junctions, leaving commuters stuck for 30 to 60 minutes on routes that earlier took barely 10 minutes. A breakup of the diversions shows the scale of disruption caused by ongoing civic works.
Bridge and drainage works dominate
Of the 126 diversions, 26 are due to new bridge construction. Another 33 diversions are linked to underbridge construction, bridge renovation and major drainage projects that have been underway for more than six months.
Nineteen diversions are caused by new drainage works, while 13 are due to drainage repairs. Six diversions are because of RCC road construction.
Apart from these, 28 roads have been partially or fully diverted for works such as paver block laying, demolition of old roads, filling deep ditches, reducing circle radii at junctions, resurfacing and repairs to BRTS tracks.
Daily commute hit hard
The impact on daily life has been severe. Office-goers are reaching late, ambulances are struggling to pass through congested stretches, school buses are delayed and fuel consumption has increased.
Two-wheelers are forced to squeeze through narrow gaps, while heavy vehicles worsen congestion, especially during morning and evening rush hours.
Traffic experts and officials admit that taking up so many major infrastructure projects at the same time has choked road space across the city, leaving traffic with few alternatives and causing repeated gridlocks.
600 traffic jawans deployed
In response to growing public anger, the city traffic police has deployed around 600 Traffic Regulation Point (TRP) jawans at key junctions to manage traffic flow.
However, whether additional manpower can ease congestion caused by widespread and simultaneous roadworks remains uncertain. Until diversions are reduced and projects are better phased, commuters are likely to continue facing long delays.