New traffic curbs on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road to ease congestion, key diversions in place

Bengaluru traffic police have implemented new diversions along the Outer Ring Road to alleviate congestion near Marathahalli, effective Monday.

In a fresh attempt to tackle the chronic congestion along Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), especially near Marathahalli, the city traffic police have announced a set of traffic diversions and access restrictions that came into effect from Monday (today).

Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road often sees massive traffic jams

Here are the diversions

The new rules are aimed specifically at decongesting the busy ORR stretch between Karthik Nagar Junction and Kalamandir, a stretch notorious for peak-hour bottlenecks and chaotic merging traffic from service roads.

According to a report in Deccan Herald, vehicles will no longer be allowed to access the ORR from the Kalamandir side via the service road adjacent to Jeevika Hospital. Similarly, entry into the service road from the ORR near the Yamaha showroom has been prohibited.

Instead, vehicles travelling from Chinnappanahalli Railway Gate heading towards Kadubeesanahalli and Devarabeesanahalli must use the service road near Jeevika Hospital and merge back onto the ORR at the Yamaha showroom junction.

In the reverse direction, vehicles approaching from the Mahadevapura and Karthik Nagar stretch of the ORR towards Whitefield and Varthur can now enter the service road at Kalamandir Junction and proceed towards Kundalahalli and Varthur.

This stretch of the ORR, particularly between Mahadevapura and Marathahalli, is among Bengaluru’s most heavily trafficked zones. Home to major tech parks, high-density residential blocks, and educational institutions, it sees lakhs of commuters daily. Despite infrastructure upgrades, traffic snarls remain routine, often spilling over into adjacent neighborhoods and feeder roads like Chinnappanahalli, Kundalahalli, and Devarabeesanahalli.

The situation is further complicated by inconsistent lane discipline, chaotic service road usage, and heavy vehicular influx from arterial roads. The traffic police have, in recent months, implemented multiple micro-interventions across the ORR corridor, from time-based restrictions on heavy vehicles to rerouting service road access, to regain control over congestion points.

The latest curbs aim to streamline traffic flow and reduce friction between service road users and through traffic on the ORR main carriageway.