55 killed in the span of five months on Bengaluru - Mysuru expressway: Report

The Bengaluru – Mysuru Expressway which was built to improve the connectivity between two tech towns of Karnataka, has become a hub for road accidents. A report in Star of Mysore suggested that in the span of five months, the expressway saw 570 accidents, killing 55 people in the mishaps.

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According to the report, out of 570 accidents, 52 people were severely injured and another 279 suffered minor injuries. Another 184 sustained with minor injuries. The high number of accidents on this south India’s first expressway has raised concerns on the safety of commuters. The government has already taken many measures like restriction of two and three wheelers on this full access-controlled expressway. In a few places on the expressway, the fencing has been cut by the villagers which also resulted in animal presence on the road. There are also a few heavy vehicles which were spotted coming in a wrong way on the busy expressway.

Recently, Mysuru – Kodagu MP Pratap Simha even urged the villagers not to destroy the fencings on the expressway. He earlier told, “Bengaluru - Mysuru expressway is south India’s first fully access controlled highway which is why there are fencings on both sides of the road. I urge the people of Bengaluru, Mandya, Ramanagara and Mysuru to refrain from disrupting the fence for your comfort. If any animal gets into the expressway through the damaged part of the fence, it might lead to a severe accident.”

The 119-km expressway was built for Rs. 8,408 crore. Of the total length, 52 km is a greenfield consisting of five bypasses to reduce traffic congestion. This project includes11 overpasses, 64 underpasses, five bypasses, 42 small bridges. The expressway also has six lanes with additional two-lane service roads on both sides.