NHAI begins safety inspection of Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway amid accidents

Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, one of the latest high-speed highways added to India's road network, has been in the news mostly for wrong reasons in recent times. Within five months of its inauguration, the 118-km long expressway has seen more than 500 accidents causing death to around 100 victims. The incidents have forced the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to launch an investigation into the safety of the expressway which links the state capital of Karnataka and the old capital of Mysuru.

The NHAI has set up a panel of experts to inspect safety parameters of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. The panel will visit Karnataka to take stock of the situation on ground. "National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has constituted a committee of Road Safety Experts to carry out safety inspection of Bengaluru–Mysuru Access Controlled Highway to ensure that the corridor continues to serve people of Karnataka by promoting safe travel," the agency said in a statement issued on Tuesday. It is expected to complete its study by tomorrow, July 20, and submit a report to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) in the next 10 days.

The 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March this year. The 118-km long expressway was developed at a total cost of around ₹8,480 crore. It is divided in two sections; The first one connects Bengaluru with Nidaghatta and the other connects Nidaghatta with Mysuru. It has been designed to achieve a speed of 110 to 120 kilometres per hour, but the official speed limit has been set at 100 kmph. The expressway has helped to reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru by almost half to 75 minutes.

According to reports, the expressway has seen around 570 accidents since it was inaugurated. Over 100 people have been killed in these accidents and more than 350 others have been injured. According to the state government reports, the Nidaghatta-Mysuru section has witnessed more accidents than the other section. Overspeeding vehicles are seen as one of the key reasons behind the rising number of accidents on this expressway which lacks proper signages as well as illumination.

The NHAI had taken several initiatives to improve safety of commuters on the expreswsway. There are four rail overbridges, nine major bridges, 40 minor bridges, 89 underpasses and overpasses besides six bypasses in Bidadi, Ramnagara, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya and Srirangapatna to resolve the problem of traffic congestion. The expressway starts from the NICE entrance in Bengaluru and ends at ring road junction in Mysuru.