Massive traffic on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road, commuters stranded for hours before reaching workplace

Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road faces gridlock as commuters struggle with delays caused by heavy rain and ongoing metro work.

Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road turned into a nightmare for commuters on Thursday morning, following overnight rain and ongoing metro construction work that caused widespread waterlogging and traffic congestion. Many office-goers were stuck in gridlock for hours, with several taking to social media to vent their frustration.

Water-logging and ongoing metro construction in Bengaluru put commuters stranded for hours.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police issued multiple alerts through the morning, urging commuters to be patient as traffic crawled along key stretches of the Outer Ring Road. In one of its advisories, the department said, “Traffic movement is extremely slow from Kadubeesanahalli towards Karthik Nagar due to metro construction work near Marathahalli Police Station. We request all commuters to cooperate.”

The situation was no better in Bellandur, where heavy waterlogging brought traffic to a standstill. Another alert from the Traffic Police read, “Due to water logging, traffic is moving slowly from Bellanduru Kodi towards Yemalur Masjid.”

Commuters express frustration

Frustrated by the delay, several commuters shared visuals of long queues of vehicles on social media platforms. Ashok Mruthyunjaya, spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party, posted a video showing the snarled traffic near Bellandur-Yemalur and tweeted, “Took one hour to cross Bellandur Yamalur road. Avoid this road if you want to reach office on time. @blrcitytraffic, please deploy someone at Bellandur Lake junction to manage the chaos.”

The traffic woes weren't limited to the Outer Ring Road. The Central Business District (CBD) also experienced severe congestion late Wednesday night, adding to the city’s gridlock troubles. A post by community platform Bangalore Post on X (formerly Twitter) warned, “Watch out, Bengaluru! All political party members are out for #ChaloBengaluru, and traffic is moving slowly across CBD areas. Plan your day accordingly and keep an eye on @blrcitytraffic for updates.”