54 of 78 White-Topping Road Works Delayed in Bengaluru, Choking Key Corridors

Nearly 70% of white-topping road projects across Bengaluru have missed their completion deadlines, causing extensive traffic congestion across the city and triggering major peak-hour snarls at Marathahalli Junction and surrounding corridors.

According to data from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), 54 of the 78 ongoing white-topping projects in the city are currently delayed. Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda presented the details in response to a question raised by Yelahanka MLA S.R. Vishwanath.

Among the major delayed stretches are Hennur 80 Feet Road, Mosque Road, Sanjaynagar Main Road, and Hosakerehalli Main Road. The resulting diversions and road closures have heavily disrupted traffic across the city.

Officials from B-SMILE, the agency overseeing the projects, stated that obtaining approvals and managing multi-agency coordination remain major hurdles. For instance, white-topping on Kengal Hanumanthaiya (K.H.) Road faced delays after the Bengaluru Traffic Police denied permission to close the busy link road more than twice before granting approval recently. Police officials explained that closing key stretches like K.H. Road or J.C. Road prematurely would severely disrupt traffic flow, requiring drainage and other preparatory work to be completed first.

Minister Gowda noted that while white-topping takes place, water and sewer lines are simultaneously reviewed and fixed to ensure roads will not require digging for the next 20 years. However, poor inter-agency coordination has historically stalled progress. To address this, the minister recently announced a single-platform application designed to coordinate civic work across different utility agencies.

The project delays have compounded Bengaluru's traffic challenges. The TomTom Traffic Index ranked Bengaluru as the second most congested city in the world in 2025 and the most congested in India, with the traffic police citing delayed civic works as a key factor extending commute times.

In eastern Bengaluru, delayed white-topping work at Panathur caused peak-hour traffic at Marathahalli Junction to surge drastically, extending peak congestion periods until the road was reopened. Similar disruptions were reported on Lower Agaram Road, where ongoing works blocked a vital connection between southeastern and central parts of the city.