Bengaluru breathes easy: Hebbal flyover cuts traffic chaos to just 2 minutes (Photos)

Once notorious for bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Hebbal flyover has shed its image as a major choke point. With new traffic loops in place, commuters who earlier spent up to 30 minutes crawling now report a dramatically smoother drive.

During a morning peak-hour test drive, a one-kilometre stretch from Esteem Mall to Hebbal traffic police station was covered in just over two minutes, with two-wheelers maintaining speeds of 40–60 kmph—unthinkable earlier.

Residents point to fresh snarls near Baptist Hospital, where a BMTC bus stop and vehicles cutting across lanes disrupt traffic flow, causing time saved on the flyover to be lost soon after exiting it.

Motorists say the flyover no longer lives up to its dreaded reputation. Many recall praying for traffic cops to halt airport-bound vehicles earlier, a scenario they say has now become a thing of the past.

The Tumakuru Road loop, once a stretch where vehicles waited 10–12 minutes just to access the flyover, now allows near-seamless movement, significantly cutting delays for traffic coming from Byataranapura and Kodigehalli.

Commuters still face brief jams near Mehkri Circle, where vehicles pile up at the underpass. During the test drive, traffic stalled for about three minutes, offsetting some of the time saved on the flyover.

Authorities credit the smoother flow to better lane segregation, with vehicles from the airport, Kodigehalli and KR Pura moving independently. Officials say this design change has eliminated the need for stop-and-go regulation.

While the flyover itself flows freely, traffic slows where streams converge—near UAS campus bus stop, CBI junction and Ganganagar—highlighting how congestion has shifted downstream rather than disappeared entirely.