After the inauguration of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, the old 4-lane highway that passes through several towns like Bidadi, Ramanagara, Channapatna, Maddur, Mandya, and Srirangapatna, that the expressway bypasses, is languishing with no proper maintenance. The last time the old highway was asphalted was many years ago. The road is rid with potholes, bad stretches, and road medians not maintained. Shrubs planted on the median have not been pruned and they now block the roadway.
“The condition of the old highway is very bad. It is extremely difficult and has become dangerous to drive on the old highway. Those of us residing in towns along the expressway are forced to use this road. We have been demanding that the road be relaid immediately for many months now, to no avail,” said Byregowda, a farmer from Mandya.
The old highway is also presently under the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which is yet to hand it over back to the state government, five months after the inauguration of the expressway. The Union government declared the 367 km long Bengaluru-Bantwal as National Highway-275, including Bengaluru-Mysuru State Highway-17 as a National Highway in 2014.
