Waterlogged expressway, gridlock grip Bengaluru's silicon spine

Time of India

19-05-2025

Bengaluru: A heavy downpour from Sunday night into early Monday paralysed Bengaluru's tech corridors, turning key arterial roads into waterlogged traps and leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.
Among the worst-hit areas were Koramangala, HSR Layout, BTM Layout, and Marathahalli, all part of the city's IT and startup backbone.
The 9.9-km Electronics City Elevated Expressway—connecting Central Silk Board to Electronics City—was shut for hours due to waterlogging, severely affecting employees headed to companies such as Infosys, Wipro, and Biocon. With no official work-from-home advisory issued by many firms, IT professionals scrambled for alternative routes, only to encounter traffic snarls and flooded underpasses.
An ELCITA spokesperson confirmed that flyover closures—partly due to ongoing NHAI work—further crippled traffic below. "It took me over 30 minutes just to cross the jam near Electronics City," the official said.
Silk Board Junction, infamous for its congestion, became impassable after stormwater flooded service roads and choked the adjoining underpasses. Interstate buses from Kerala and Tamil Nadu added to the mess as they queued up at the flooded junction.
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"I was stuck for over an hour at Silk Board. The water was up to the tyres, and the bus driver couldn't even access the luggage compartment," said Sai Kiran V, a chartered accountant returning from Andhra Pradesh.
At Manyata Tech Park, employees arrived to find the campus submerged. Entry points were under knee-deep water, and several workers turned back home. "It's become an annual joke now," said Kamalesh Jain, a financial employee.
"We're expecting BBMP to start collecting boating tolls next."
Visuals from the area showed knee-deep water across entry points, with commuters stranded and several choosing to return home. While BBMP officials struggled to deploy pumps, exasperated techies were left wondering if they needed a boat pass to reach the office.
A fallen tree near Kalamandir, HAL, further complicated traffic flow towards Marathahalli bridge, while a vehicle breakdown at Hennur underpass contributed to the citywide gridlock.
Along the Outer Ring Road, flooding crippled movement near the Agar flyover and Hennur–Hebbal stretch.
In HSR Layout, a short 1-km stretch from Agara to Silk Board took commuters over 40 minutes to cross. "Cabs weren't accepting rides. It felt like walking would've been faster," said Mounika J, a techie who reached her workplace over an hour late.
Authorities also shut down stretches near Marathahalli after a tree fell close to Kalamandir Junction.
The incident compounded traffic chaos on HAL Road and further disrupted access to tech hubs in Whitefield and beyond.
A traffic officer from Madiwala said over 25 personnel were deployed at major junctions. "The situation was aggravated by waterlogging at Bommanahalli and Silk Board. We tried to ease movement, but volumes were too high."
'Copy-paste flooding' returns to Balagere Rd
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Residents of Varthur, Balagere, and Panathur began their Monday wading through a now-familiar problem—Balagere Road submerged once again after overnight rain. The stretch, a key link between the tech belt and the Outer Ring Road, was inaccessible until midday.
A photo of the flooded road has gone viral—not for its shock value, but because it mirrors an image from last Aug almost identically. Locals have dubbed it "copy-paste flooding."
"The picture hasn't changed," said SS Sangappa Desai, a resident. "The stormwater drain is clogged, there's no proper SWD connectivity, and the drain system is broken."
Last year, the same image was digitally altered with a boat to mock the situation. This year, while the humour has worn thin, the water remains—and so do the complaints.
Sridhar M, who commutes daily via the road, said it was shut until 1pm. "No repairs, no accountability. We've reported it repeatedly, but nothing changes."
Parents noted that the only temporary relief is that schools haven't reopened yet. With many set to start between 20 May and late June, residents fear the return of waterlogged school runs unless infrastructure is urgently addressed.