June mayhem: Schools set to reopen but roads dug up again

Bengaluru: Brace for bumper-to-bumper chaos in Bengaluru’s central business district as schools and colleges gear up to reopen in June. Major sewage pipeline replacement works on key roads such as Richmond Road and Lavelle Road are set to choke traffic at the worst possible time, triggering commuter nightmares across some of the city’s busiest stretches. With lakhs of students and parents expected to hit the roads daily once the academic year begins, motorists are staring at longer snarls, crawling traffic and peak-hour gridlock in the heart of the city.

Shantinagar MLA NA Haris estimated that more than 2.5 lakh students commute through central Bengaluru every day, covering school and college clusters spread across Richmond Road, Residency Road, Vittal Mallya Road, Shantinagar, Langford Road and surrounding areas. With portions of major roads dug up and diversions in place, school-hour traffic is expected to become significantly heavier over the next several weeks.

According to Haris, the concentration of educational institutions in the central zone makes traffic management challenging during reopening season. “I understand there will be traffic chaos due to the high concentration of schools in the area. However, these sewage pipe changes are important and unavoidable for the larger good,” he said.

Lavelle Road work under way

One of the major bottlenecks is expected near Lavelle Road, where BWSSB has taken up sewage pipeline replacement works on the stretch towards Richmond Road. The road is currently blocked for vehicular movement as underground work progresses.

According to a BWSSB engineer overseeing the project, roadside works have already been completed and the agency has now moved to replacing drainage pipelines beneath the road surface. Officials expect to finish work in around one-and-a-half months.

The concern, however, is the location of the worksite. Several schools and colleges lie in and around the stretch, making it a key school commute corridor. With reopening around the corner, residents and motorists fear long delays, especially during peak hours.

Richmond Road stretch dug up

Simultaneously, another major sewage infrastructure upgrade is being carried out on Richmond Road near HDFC Bank, where nearly 400 metres of road has been cut open to facilitate underground pipeline replacement.

BWSSB officials said the work is expected to continue for 60 days. Due to traffic constraints in CBD, contractors have been permitted to carry out work only during night.

Ironically, directly opposite the excavation stretch are several schools and colleges. Parents dropping off children and school buses navigating narrowed roads are expected to add to congestion.

Apart from major works on arterial roads, several ward-level infrastructure projects are also ongoing across central Bengaluru. Road cutting and civic works are under way in parts of Shantinagar, Langford Road and Kamaraj Road, with authorities putting out alternative route plans to manage movement.

However, commuters fear that simultaneous works across several stretches may choke internal roads as motorists increasingly divert through residential and ward roads to avoid bottlenecks on arterial routes.

Schools brace for traffic chaos

Educational institutions are preparing for the likely disruption and coordinating measures in the reopening week. At Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, principal Christy Priyadharsini F said the institution is mindful of the situation. The school is reopening on June 3, while Bishop Cotton Boys’ School resumes classes on June 1.

“With staggered reopening, there will be time for the boys’ school to settle down and manage traffic before we start. During the initial days, many parents drop children, especially new admissions and younger students. From the following week, many shift to school buses, reducing traffic pressure,” she said, adding that the school also plans to coordinate with traffic police to help manage vehicle movement in the first week.

Bishop Cotton Boys’ School plans to issue advisories to parents regarding the civic works. “We will advise them to avoid certain gates and use alternative entry and exit points,” said Alistair RA Freese, the principal.

Other institutions are also encouraging sustainable transport options to reduce congestion. St Joseph’s PU College, which reopened Monday, said it promotes cycling and electric mobility among students by offering parking facilities for bicycles and EV two-wheelers. “We provide parking to encourage eco-friendly commuting. Many students use bicycles and EVs, and we appreciate them for contributing towards sustainable mobility,” said principal Nirmala Raghunandan.

Can’t avoid infra works: MLA

Haris said delays in beginning the projects earlier during summer vacation were partly due to labour shortage, as many contractors and workers had returned to their hometowns during the elections and summer break.

“These works are essential. Working on existing roads is tricky because we never know what utilities or challenges exist underground. We need to ensure no damage is caused while replacing these pipelines. I have been monitoring the progress to ensure the work moves at a faster pace,” he said.

For now, however, central Bengaluru commuters may need to leave home earlier than usual, with weeks of congestion likely before normalcy returns.